Devotion
by Sondardo
Summary: Two weeks passed since the events that transpired in Hotel Transylvania. Johnny is helping Dracula with giving the hotel some invigorating touches, while living happily with Mavis, sharing stories with her, along with their love. However, some events will unfold and be a true test of how strong their love really is. Rated T just in case, possibility of mild violence and sexuality.
1. Chapter 1: Beginning

**I dedicate this fanfiction to callmemavy, which was the author who inspired me the most to write this story. I see you as a model, a mentor, and I would like to thank you for writing your story, "Demon's Heart". That story is dark, sad, tragic, yet beautiful, which influenced my writing style greatly.**

* * *

It's been two weeks since Johnny entered Mavis' life. After being accepted by Drac, which risked his life to bring him back to his daughter, everything seemed to fall in place neatly for the young couple.

Johnny convinced Drac to modernize his hotel with modern technology, like electricity, television, internet, etc. It wasn't a small feat to install these appliances though, since zombie technicians had a hard time working with these new things. This meant that Johnny was really busy during most of the night, because he was the only being familiar with that kind of technology, so he had to give Drac a hand to oversee its implementation.

Despite being exhausted each day with his new "work", Johnny always reserved at least one or two hours each day to be with Mavis. They spent most of their time being cuddled up, exchanging stories. Johnny would tell Mavis of all the places he visited, much to her enjoyment, and she would tell stories about what she knew about monsters, which satisfied him as well. Then, they would break up with a small, but passionate kiss on the lips.

Dracula was witnessing all that of course, and he was happy for his daughter. Happy, yet slightly bitter, because seeing her happy with her lover made him remember how happy he was with Martha, before she died. Quickly discarding these negative thoughts, he went to her room and knocked on her door.

"Mavis, honey, are you in your room? I want to talk." he said, which Mavis replied, "Come in Dad." She was sitting on her bed, glaring at the sky, lost in her thoughts. "I wanted to know how you felt, and what were your plans with Johnny" Dracula said. Mavis replied, "How I'm feeling right now? I'm feeling more alive than I've ever been, thanks to Johnny" she said while blushing a little. She continued, "I can't wait to see what Haweewee, err, Hawaii looks like. By the way Dad, how are Johnny and you doing with work in the hotel? I can't wait to see how electricity works, the way Johnny told me about it, it sounded like a magical power source."

Dracula replied, "It's going smoothly, thanks to Johnny. I think that in a few weeks it should be finished. However, I also came here to ask what were your plans with Johnny, in the long term." Mavis raised her eyebrows, slightly surprised, then said, "In the long term? I don't know, we plan to see the world together, then eventually settle down, get married and have kids, like every couple in love out there. Nothing out of the ordinary I believe."

Dracula winced a little, visibly unsatisfied with that answer, "Mavis, please listen. I hate to bring that subject, but I have to, to be sure you won't get hurt. You see, Johnny is a human, and humans age much faster than we vampires do. You're 118 now, however, most humans die before they even reach 80. So, unless you plan to turn Johnny into a vampire at some point, you will see him age and slowly die in front of you, while you will always look like a young lady. I don't want to ruin your happiness, yet I want you to see that, one way or the other, you will need to pass some hurdles if you wish to stay with Johnny."

"We talked about that already, Johnny and I", she replied. "If it were up to me, he would be a vampire already, but he wanted to be turned at one specific moment." Dracula looked a little shocked, "When?". "On our wedding day, Johnny wants me to turn him after we exchanged our vows and kissed in front of the priest and everyone else. He want friends and families of both his side and my side to witness me biting him and transforming him. I didn't like that idea at first, thinking it might seem gross to some, but he said that him willing to be a vampire for me would be a proof of our undying love for everyone to witness."

Dracula was speechless. Speechless, and a little sad, because he just witnessed his daughter maturing a little more, addressing such a serious topic. Yet, he was filled with joy and pride, joy because it was obvious how happy Mavis was, and pride because of her unwavering decisiveness. "All right dear, I'm a little surprised you and Johnny not only thought about it, but even went as far as picking a moment for it. Don't worry, you have my support, and when the time comes, I'll teach you how to correctly turn Johnny into a vampire. I have to go, I still have work left to do, and you must be getting tired. I love you Mavis, and I'm glad to see you so happy."

"I love you too Dad", she replied. With that, Dracula left the room, satisfied, seeing everything fall in place and nothing going wrong. He wished that it would continue this way, so that his daughter could have a happy life, without the sadness and sorrow he endured.

Unfortunately, life isn't always kind or fair. In fact, it's often cruel and ruthless, and the young couple will soon witness that...


	2. Chapter 2: Accident

The following day, Johnny and Dracula were in the main lobby to test the electrical connections with a magnificent chandelier. The zombies were hard at work, like usual, although a little clumsy as well.

Mavis was in the lobby as well, because she liked to see the place where she lived her whole life being transformed into a more modern place. She also happened to have her head in the clouds, deep in thought, while reading brochures containing pictures and information about Hawaii. She couldn't wait to get there with Johnny, pacing back and forth in the entire lobby while reading her brochures with great intensity.

However, fate wasn't so kind that day, and decided to put Johnny and Mavis to the test. While working on the chandelier, the zombie technician smashed the pole by mistake with his hammer. The base structure of the chandelier was made of glass, which, while pretty, offered poor shock resistance. Thus, the chandelier fell onto the ground.

Normally, this would have amounted in Dracula rolling his eyes at the clumsiness of the zombies, while Johnny would have laughed at the situation. However, there was something that prevented neither of them to feel anything besides desperation and sadness...

Mavis...

When the chandelier fell, she was straight under it. Due to being absorbed by her thoughts about Hawaii, she didn't notice the massive object that was falling into her, until it was too late. "MAVIS!", cried in unison both Dracula and Johnny. The only reply they got from her was an unholy scream, filled with horror and pain.

Dracula used his vampire speed to be besides her wounded daughter, with Johnny sprinting towards her with all his might. Dracula tried to free Mavis from the rubbles of the once mighty chandelier, only to burn his hands. "Silver!", he cried. "Oh gods, no! Mavis...", tears were beginning to flow into his cheek when he remembered that most of the ornaments of that chandelier were made from silver, which is deadly to certain monsters, vampires included. Unable to lift the rubbles, all he could do was to gently stroke her face while gently whispering to her that everything would be fine, knowing full well that he was lying.

When Johnny arrived, he felt a myriad of negative emotions unlike anything he ever felt in his life so far. Despair, sadness, anger... With a sudden adrenaline surge, he lifted the remains of the chandelier off Mavis' body. He cut his hands very badly in the process, but he didn't care, as he would rather die than see Mavis fade in front of him. She was barely breathing, and had a lot of open wounds, which made her lose a lot of blood.

"Drac! We have to get her to the nurse, quickly!" he cried. "It's no use, Johnny" he responded, his voice shaking with great sorrow. "She's been wounded with silver, which is very poisonous to us vampires. The only thing that could save her would be human blood..."

Having heard that, Johnny didn't lose time. Mavis was barely breathing, having no strength left, obviously not even enough for her to bite him. So, he took a huge glass shard that was laying on the floor and thrust it through his chest, piercing his right lung. "What are you doing?!" cried Dracula in shock. "Saving her life, even if I must lose mine", Johnny replied. He was bleeding profusely, both from his wound and also from his mouth.

Without losing any time, he firmly held Mavis in his arms, and gave her what looked to everyone in the lobby like a very deep and passionate kiss. In reality, Johnny was force-feeding Mavis with his own blood, hence why he damaged his lung, to be able to bleed through his mouth for her.

Mavis came to her senses, wondering what tasted so good. She tried to remember everything she ate or drank in her life, and was unable to recall anything that had a taste so...divine. Then, she realized what Johnny was doing, and in shock pushed him towards the opposite wall of the lobby, which was still about 30 meters away, like it was nothing. She felt... powerful, awake, alive! Her eyes grew red with hunger. Quicker than lightning, she lunged towards Johnny and sank her fangs into his neck.

Johnny didn't feel any pain, only relief, now that he saw Mavis moving with such vigor. He quickly fainted from the drop in his blood pressure, only able to whisper the words: "I love you, Mavis."

Having heard these words, Mavis stopped her feeding, just in time to spare Johnny's life. She then contemplated on what she's done. "Johnny!", she cried. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you, but when I tasted your blood, I felt like something took over myself! Johnny! Wake up!".

She was getting desperate and hysterical, horrified at the thought of having possibly killed her zing. Johnny was unable to respond, since he was unconscious. His heartbeat was getting weaker and weaker, while his skin was getting paler due to the lack of blood.

Then, Dracula used his telekinesis to freeze Johnny's body. "Dad! What are you doing?!" Mavis cried, scared of what his father wanted to do.

"Saving his life, my lovely bone. I won't let him die on you yet, not so soon after you found your zing, and certainly not after risking his life for you!" He then picked him up and used his maximum speed to bring him to the nurse. He knew that humans, while easy to hurt and kill, are also easy to treat and heal, compared to monsters at least. He sped towards the nurse with that hope in mind, praying to whomever listened to him to not let Mavis go through with Johnny the pain he felt while losing Martha...


	3. Chapter 3: Aftermath

Two days have passed since the accident. Mavis' wounds were almost completely healed, thanks to Johnny's blood. However, she felt dead on the inside. Since tasting human blood, everything she ate or drank left an unsatisfying taste in her mouth. Even Blood Beaters, her blood substitute that she used to drink to replenish herself, were unable to quench her hunger.

She longed for blood, Johnny's blood. Just thinking about how she felt when her zing offered himself to save her life, the marvelous taste that filled her tongue, her mouth, her throat and then her entire body. She also longed for the heat and energy that Johnny's blood gave her, which made her feel temporarily more alive than she's ever been, raising her body temperature to human-like level and decupling her strength. She wanted to taste the skin of his neck, the saltiness of his sweat, the sweetness of his blood...

As she was thinking about all that, Mavis caught herself drooling and realized what was happening to her. "What am I thinking? Johnny's my lover, not food! He selflessly offered his blood to me so I could live, how can I even have such selfish thoughts?!" She started to become scared of herself, scared that she would lose to her hunger and harm, or even worse, kill Johnny, should she lose control of herself. She curled herself on her bed, her head between her knees, and started to sob quietly, hoping that her hunger would eventually quiet down...

* * *

Johnny was resting on his bed and was under the care of the nurse of the hotel. She looked like one of the witch-maids that were working in the hotel, except that she looked much older.

Dracula visited Johnny's room, worried sick about whether or not he will survive. "How is he doing?" he asked her. "It was a close call.", she replied, "I casted a regeneration spell on him, and force fed him a healing potion. He should recover soon, perhaps even today. However, he should avoid overexerting himself, he did lose a lot of blood, so he will be a little anemic for a while. The fact that he pierced his lung doesn't help either. I was able to repair it, but breathing too heavily will cause him pain as well, so it's imperative that he rest for at least one week."

Dracula was relieved to hear that, knowing that Johnny was in good hands. He decided to resume his work in the hotel to unwind a little.

* * *

Johnny indeed woke up later this day. His neck and his chest felt very sore, and he had a massive headache, feeling worse than any hangover he ever suffered from. Still, he forced himself on his feet, because he was worried sick about Mavis, and didn't care about how bad his body felt, not until he knew for sure that she survived.

He slowly reached the lobby, where Dracula saw him. In a puff of purple smoke, he quickly went to hug him. Johnny winced in pain, because the hug pressured his lung a little. Still, he was glad to see him, and immediately asked, "Where's Mavis? Did she... survive?", fear was ingrained in his voice, because he was afraid of his answer.

Dracula broke his hug, tear flowing from his eyes, and tenderly replied, "Yes, she recovered quickly, thanks to you. If you didn't do what you did, she would have died. I...I...". His voice died down, and he started to cry on Johnny's shoulders, which surprised him, seeing the usually mighty Drac in that state.

"Whoa! Take it easy Drac!", Johnny replied, "Mavis is alright then, isn't she? If she's well enough, can I see her?" Dracula quickly dried his tears, straightened himself and cleared his throat. "Of course, Johnny. She's been in her room ever since the accident, so seeing you should be a balm to her heart. Be warned though, she might tackle and hug you even harder than I did."

"I'll be fine Drac. I'll gladly take those, even if they hurt me a little, if it meant to see Mavis' smile once again." Johnny started to head towards Mavis' room, but Dracula said, "Johnny?". "Yes Drac?" he replied. "I..I... Words cannot express how I'm feeling right now, nor will I ever be able to find words to really express my gratitude, but... Thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart, Mavis and I are eternally in your debt!"

"Aw Drac... Don't worry about it. I love Mavis more than anything in this world, and I would die a thousand times for her if need be!" Dracula gave Johnny a radiant smile after hearing that. "Alright, enough chit-chat. Go see Mavis, she needs you more than anything, Johnny..." After those words, Johnny headed to see her zing in her room as fast as his body allowed him to.

* * *

After climbing a seemingly endless flight of stairs, Johnny reached Mavis' room. He knocked on her door and said "Mavis, are you inside?". All he could hear was a faint sob. "Mavis! I'm all right now! Ok, I haven't fully recovered yet, and still need to rest, but I wanted to see you so badly before. Please, open the door..."

"Go...G..o...a..way, Johnny". He recognized her voice, but it was very shaky and broken. "Mavis, are you ok? Are you still hurt? I'll fetch your Dad if you need help..." She then replied, "No, I... I'm fine, but... I... cannot see you, not right now, please...forgive me, and... leave me alone for now..." It was obvious to Johnny that Mavis was now crying heavily and suffered for some reason.

"Mavis!" Johnny started to feel really anxious and was afraid that something happened to her. "Please, let me in! I don't care what happened to you, let me help! I'll do anything for you..."

As he leaned more and more into the door to hear what was happening better, it suddenly opened. Johnny would have fallen on the floor, if Mavis' hand didn't viciously grip his neck. "U..ck, Ma...vis?" What he saw terrified him. Mavis was firmly holding his neck and pressed her face near his. Her eyes were burning red, her fangs were three times as long as normal, blue veins were protruding everywhere in Mavis' face and her face was hideously distorted from anger. Her face was even more terrifying than the one she showed when she were angry at Dracula for building a fake village.

Before he could utter another word, Mavis forcefully threw him down the hall, making his smash the wall. "GO AWAY! NOW", she shouted in a demonic voice. She then slammed the door, weeping loudly in a fetal position on her bed. Johnny was heartbroken by this display, not because of the physical pain Mavis inflicted him, but because he saw her in such a state. He then went to see Dracula as fast as he could.

"Drac!", he shouted at him as he went back into the hall. Dracula turned his head towards him, still smiling a little from his earlier conversation. However, his smile quickly fell when he saw the panicked state Johnny was in. "What's wrong, Johnny?" he asked. "It's Mavis!", Johnny replied, unable to hold his tears. "Something happened to her, I don't know what, but she's not herself... Please, help her!"

Upon hearing those words, Dracula changed into a bat and quickly fled towards Mavis' room, fearing the worst...


	4. Chapter 4: Bloodlust

Drac flew as quickly as he could. Once he reached his daughter's room, he heard loud cries inside. He didn't even bother to knock, he transformed into purple mist and went straight under the door. When he regained his form, he was greeted by a dismal sight...

Mavis was lying on her bed, crying every tear her body was able to produce. Her eyes were still red, and her face was still as distorted as when she attacked Johnny, except sadness was the sole emotion that her face was able to express. Her entire pillow was drenched in tears.

Dracula's heart was in pain, more than if a wooden stake were thrust through it. Still, his paternal instincts kicked in, and he quickly wrapped her daughter in his cape, trying to reassure her. "What's wrong honey? Why are you so sad after seeing Johnny? I thought you would rejoice to see him alive and well..." he asked.

"I'm scared, Dad! Really, really scared!", she replied. "Scared of what, little mouse?" Dracula didn't like where the conversation was going, but he knew what was eating her daughter, as he was very familiar with it. "I'm scared of myself, Dad! Just before Johnny went to see me, every fiber of my body wanted him, his blood. I wanted, and still want, to suck him dry! I'm becoming a monster, Dad!"

Dracula really was hurt with those last words. She was becoming what he once was, a blood-thirsty vampire. He tried to put up a strong, but reassuring face, before continuing. "My sweet little blood-orange, you're not becoming a monster, you're just experiencing what is truly is to be a vampire. For now, your thirst might seem overwhelming, but with time, you'll learn to control it instead of letting it control you."

"Dad, why have you always told me that human blood tasted awful and was too fat? When I drank Johnny's blood, I felt it was the most divine nectar I ever tasted. Why, Dad, why?"

"Because I didn't want you to taste any of it, if possible. I know first-hand how addictive human blood can be for us vampires. It's very easy for us to shut down our emotions and just let the thirst take over. I wanted to avoid you that fate at all cost..."

"Whatever, Dad, just send Johnny away, I can't bear the thought of harming or killing him. Just tell him I don't love him anymore or something like that...", she said to her dad while sobbing. "No, no, no, no, no... I can't do that...", he replied, "If you end your relationship with him, you'll have regrets all of your life. You can beat your bloodlust, Mavy, you're strong, I should know, I was the one who raised you." As he said that, he gently strokes one of her bangs and slid it behind her ear.

She gave him a faint smile. "Really, Dad?", she said with her eyes full of hope. "Really. Just drink twice the amount of Blood Beaters you usually drink for a week or two, and your blood addiction should get down considerably."

She gave her dad a hug. "Thanks. Still, I don't feel safe seeing Johnny for now. Could you tell him I became sick or something?" "Of course honey. Just rest well and concentrate on becoming happy again..."

True to his words, Dracula told Johnny that Mavis contracted a vampire disease that was like the common cold for humans. He reassured Johnny, telling him that she should recover in a week or two, but that she need to rest to do so.

Johnny acted like he bought Dracula's story. However, deep down, he knew it was something much more serious than that. However, he snuck around when Dracula was busy and went to see Mavis again, determined to make her feel better.

When he knocked on her door and asked for her, Mavis gasped and shouted, "Johnny?! What are you doing here? Don't you know I'm sick?". "Yeah, Drac told me that story, but I don't buy it.", he replied, "You're not really sick, but there's something greatly bothering you, I can feel it". "Please stop, Johnny, I don't want to attack you again... Can't you see that I'm suffering right now?".

"Well, I don't, since I cannot see through walls and doors.", Johnny attempted to joke to cheer her up. He heard a slight chuckle, which gave him the strength to continue. "I'm not the smartest human being around, but even I can guess what happened to you..." Mavis froze in fear, afraid of what he would say next.

"When I fell in love with you, Mavis, I knew that could happen." Mavis replied, with a perplexed look on her face, "What are you talking about Johnny? What could happen?" Johnny swallowed, beginning to feel nervous, and continued, "I knew that the possibility of you getting attracted to my blood was very real." Mavis was getting scared of where Johnny was getting at, "Please stop, Johnny! I'm already suffering enough mustering the willpower to fight my hunger for you."

"Perhaps you don't have to.", he replied, "How much blood do you need per feeding, and how often do you need to feed? Mavis eyes were becoming red again, and she was starting to drool. "About 500 ml per feeding, and I need to feed two or three times per week."

"I see. Then, I think I can manage that. I don't want to see you suffer anymore, Mavis. I want to see your smile again." Johnny swallowed and cleared his throat, knowing what will happen next, "If that can make you happy, please bite me and take my blood as often as you need to."

Something snapped within Mavis. Less than one second later, she used her wisp form to lock onto Johnny's body. There, they exchanged a deep, passionate kiss. Johnny felt a slight sting on his bottom lip, before realizing that Mavis bit him there. He didn't care. Revitalized by those few drops of blood, she slowly and gently went to his neck, licking his skin on the way. Johnny was shivering with great intensity. Then, she bit him. This time he felt everything. True, Mavis' fangs were a little painful, but at the same time he felt a great ecstasy coursing through his body, feeling united with Mavis.

He became light-headed, but didn't faint like he did the first time. He wished he did, however, because he heard Dracula screaming at Mavis. "Mavis, how could you? Is your mind so weak to be unable to resist to your urges?!" Mavis opened her mouth to speak, but didn't get the chance to, since Dracula went to her at vampire speed and gave her a slap so strong that she went through the wall.

Dracula was heartbroken that he raised his hand on her daughter for the first time of her life, but the thought of her becoming a blood-thirsty vampire was too much for him. Before he could continue, he received a punch on the nose from Johnny. It didn't really hurt, since Johnny only had human strength, but it got his attention.

"Stand aside Johnny! I don't like this either, but I have to punish my daughter for what she did to you..." Dracula told Johnny with great sorrow. "Mavis didn't do anything! I offered my blood on my own free will!

Dracula was stunned. How could a human willingly let a vampire bite him? Confused, he looked at Mavis, which was still reeling from his slap. "Aaaaaaarghh!", he screamed, before turning in his bat form and he flew away into the sky.

"Dad, wait!", Mavis cried. Both Johnny and Mavis witnessed Dracula suffer from a breakdown, not sure how to feel. "I'm sorry Mavis, this is all my fault. I just wanted to make you happy, not be the cause of all of this..."

"No, Johnny, this is my fault as well. I accepted your offer, so the blame lies with me as well. The only thing we can do is wait for my dad to cool down, then have a good talk with him..." Johnny hugged her, and nodded, "You're right, let's rest for now and wait for him to come back as well.

And so, both Johnny and Mavis went to their rooms, trying to sleep and pondering how the next conversation with Dracula will be.


	5. Chapter 5: Regrets

It's been a few hours since Dracula freaked out, and Johnny was pondering on his bed, unable to sleep. He thought back about what had transpired these last days, Mavis' accident, him offering his blood to her in order to save her life, and, lastly, offering his blood to her just to make her feel better.

Johnny pondered more and more, just to be more confused about how things turned out. He wondered why Dracula was so angry, even to the point of hitting Mavis, which he knew was everything to him. As he went deeper and deeper in his thoughts, he failed to notice the trails of purple smoke that were emerging from under his door.

Dracula suddenly materialized in front of Johnny, towering over him, with a cold and blue stare in his eyes. Being startled by this, Johnny tried to speak, but before he got the chance, Dracula said, "We need to talk, now!"

Having said that, he took Johnny under his mantle and quickly, but subtly, went to the mausoleum room. Johnny was familiar with that room, since it was there that he learned the true story about Dracula's wife and Mavis' mother, Martha.

"All right, nobody should hear us here." Dracula said. "Drac, what's wrong?!, Johnny replied, "The way you freaked out earlier, it's like Mavis and I did something horribly wrong and sinful. If you caught us having sex, I would have understood your anger, but it was simply a little bite..."

Johnny mentally slapped himself for that last comment, seeing how red Dracula was becoming, obviously angered by the mental image of his daughter having sex with someone. However, Dracula cooled down, shrugging off and letting that comment slide, before continuing, "Trust me, what you did was way worse. If you weren't Mavis' zing, and if you didn't save her life, I would have killed you by now!"

"Why?!", Johnny cried, "All I did was giving her some of my blood! I know that now you are using blood substitutes instead, but isn't a vampire sucking the blood of a human more natural?! I mean, I was willing, it's not like she forced me. What if I gave her some of my blood a few times per week?! What's the harm in that?!"

"You're really a dimwit, you know that?!", Dracula shouted, "All right, let's use a simple analogy that even you would understand. If you had a friend, that you deeply cared about, that were addicted to drugs, but tried to stop. You then see your friend in its withdrawal phase, seemingly suffering because he wants more drugs and is fighting his urges. Would you give him more drugs then, under the pretext of making him happy?!

"Of course not!"' Johnny replied, "Only an idiot would do that to a friend...". Johnny then understood what Dracula meant. His face fell off, overburdened with guilt. "Exactly!", Dracula said, "And you precisely did that! Before you selfishly gave your blood to Mavis, just to be able to see her, she confided in me. She was crying, being scared of herself, having discovered that she was addicted to human blood. She was scared of losing control of herself, that she could let her hunger hurt you, or even worse, kill you..."

Johnny slumped down even more, realizing what he had done. Dracula noticed that, and softened his tone a little. "I know you didn't want to cause her any harm. In fact, I think I kind of understand how you felt." Johnny raised his head, meeting his gaze, before hearing, "You saw your beloved nearly die in front of you, and you yourself nearly died for her, so, when you woke up, you wanted to see Mavis very badly. Offering your blood to save her was a very honorable act, and for that, I'm thankful to you. However, letting her drink your blood simply to satiate her hunger was a mistake. She told me that you eventually wanted to become a vampire, on your wedding day, is that true?"

Johnny gasped a little, surprised by that question, his face turning slightly redder from embarrassment, before replying, "Yeah, it is. Mavis wanted me to be turned earlier, but I really love the idea of being turned after we exchanged our vows, having our friends and families witnessing the turning as well, if possible..."

Dracula sighed, "Well, this is all well and good, but what do you think would happen if Mavis were addicted to your blood?" Johnny didn't like where Dracula was going with this, getting nervous and clenching is teeth, He wanted to speak, but his emotions were stuck in his throat. Dracula continued, "Do you think she would even let you become a vampire if that were the case?! After all, she would lose her blood supply, unable to get her "fix" anymore. Or even worse, she would let you become a vampire, and she would start hunting humans for blood, just like the vampires did centuries ago, before blood substitutes were invented. We would enter into another war with the humans if that were to occur, and all the time I spent raising Mavis secluded in my manor, away from these kinds of worries, would have been for naught!"

Johnny composed himself, with a sad look on his face, before answering, "I'm sorry, the last thing I wanted was to hurt her...or you...What should we do then?" Dracula pondered, to find a solution which would inflict the least amount of pain towards her daughter. "Well, you could leave the hotel for a while, without seeing her until she's able to beat the blood cravings, but..." Johnny didn't like the tone of that but, until Dracula continued, "...but I fear that won't work, since she tasted your blood, and that you are her lover, she will probably suffer from cravings every time she smells your scent. Plus, not seeing you for a prolonged time will surely inflict great emotional pain to her. At this point, I can only think of one solution that would not hurt her much..."

"Really?! What should I do?! Tell me, I'll do anything for her!", Johnny cried. Dracula retorted, with a serious frown on his face, "You become a vampire, right here, right now." Johnny was shocked to hear this, and wanted to raise an objection, but Dracula continued, "Let me finish, Johnny! I know this would not be as romantic as you had hoped, but think about it! If you become a vampire now, she'll stop smelling your human scent. Also, since she's relatively early in her blood addiction, she should be able to beat it now without attacking random humans."

Johnny took a few moments to assimilate all that, as well as thinking about it. "I suppose you're right", he replied, "but I think we should speak to Mavis first. This is an important matter, and I don't want to do it behind her back..."Of course, Johnny! I wouldn't want that either. Let's go to her room, together." Johnny followed Dracula in his wake, happy that his little problem with Mavis and him was on the verge of being solved. "I'm right behind you, Drac!"


	6. Chapter 6: Compromise

Dracula and Johnny walked towards Mavis' room, with worried looks on their faces, unsure on how she would take the news about Johnny becoming a vampire. Still, it was something that must be done, because Dracula knew that if he turned Johnny behind her back, she would never forgive him. He knew he already hurt her by building that fake village, and he didn't want a repeat of that.

Finally, they arrived at her door. Dracula knocked, while saying, "Mavis, darling, are you in there?" Dracula expected at least a response, but instead, the door burst open while Mavis rushed to her dad, still in her pajamas, to give him a face-squishing hug. "Dad! Are you all right? I'm so sorry about earlier, I shouldn't have drank from Johnny again..."

"I'm all right, little-mouse, I'm all right" he replied, "I'm sorry as well, for hitting you earlier. I should at least have listened to you before reacting, but when I saw you drink Johnny's blood, I was so scared you were losing control of yourself... Also, Johnny is equally to blame as well, since he let you drink from him willingly."

Then, Mavis noticed Johnny behind her dad. She immediately went to him, with a worried look on her face. "Johnny?! Why are you here with my dad? Did he do anything to you? How are you feeling? I'm so sorry... I shouldn't have fed on you, not so soon after you nearly died of blood-loss..."

Johnny was surprised with suddenly being bombarded with questions. Still, he composed him and gave her a comforting gaze, "Whoa, Mavis, slow-down! I'm here with your dad because we had a talk earlier about what we should do, and, no, he didn't harm me or anything like that. Also, I feel fine, don't worry. I went to the kitchen to order a bowl of spinach with a lot of water to help my body replenish its blood."

Mavis calmed down a little, but was also curious about something. "What did you talk about with my dad? What exactly do we have to do? Tell me!" She spoke in a tone that was a little vindictive, probably because she disliked secrets and being lied to. Dracula replied, his voice becoming a little shaky, "Let's go into your room, Mavy-Wavy. There's a lot we need to talk about, and I don't think we should do that in the hallway..."

Mavis complied, and let them enter her room. She was a little scared though, because both her dad and Johnny seemed worried. Still, she steeled herself, gritted her teeth, and asked, "All right, what is it you wanted to tell me?" Dracula followed, with a certain resolve in his voice, "Mavis, Johnny and I discussed earlier about what we should do about, err, well, your blood addiction..." Dracula looked at her daughter's face to gauge her reaction. She glared intensely at him, seemingly neither mad nor happy.

Johnny decided to continue, thinking she would swallow the idea more easily if he brought it up instead of Dracula, "We concluded that there were only two ways to help you. The first one would be me leaving you for a few weeks, or a few months, until your body is able to get my blood out of your system and your mind is able to overcome your addiction. However, this would be painful for both of us. I'll be honest, the idea of not seeing you, not hearing your voice, your laugh, not seeing your smile, for a prolonged amount of time is killing me, and it's probably the same for you, Mavis. Plus, since I'm your lover, or zing, you're probably more attracted to my blood than any human's because of that, which means that the possibility that you relapse is very real..."

Mavis cut him off, starting to get angry, almost shouting at him, "Addiction...Attraction...Relapse... What do I look like to you, Johnny?! Some kind of junkie?!" Her eyes were locked with his, full of anger, yet filled with tears. Johnny gathered his courage, because he knew he would have to hurt her a little for her to listen. "Yes, Mavis, unfortunately, that's what you look like..." Those words hurt Mavis even worse than when Johnny falsely declared that he hated monsters. Even worse than if a she were stabbed in the heart with a silver dagger.

Johnny saw how hurt Mavis was, but he bit his lip, to the point of hurting himself, and replied, "However, I'm responsible for that. Let me set one thing straight, I have no regrets about feeding you my blood to save your life, that was the best thing I did in my entire life, and would do so again in a heartbeat if needed. However, I shouldn't have given you my blood to satiate your thirst afterwards. I knew deep within me you were fighting your addiction, because you were scared of yourself. Yet, I selfishly gave you my blood, because I wanted to see you again, no matter the cost, and for that, I'm deeply sorry..."

"Johnny...", Mavis said, visibly softening up, tears rolling on her cheek. So many emotions were coursing through her, happiness, sadness, shame, pride, love, hate... Johnny knew that he reached Mavis' heart now, and decided to finish it, "However, there's a much easier solution for both of us, which would cause far less emotional pain to both you and I..." Mavis stared at him, her eyes full of eagerness. "If I become a vampire, right here, right now, you wouldn't have to worry about drinking my blood ever again."

Mavis froze when she heard that, and cut him off yet again, her voice shaking, "What?! But I thought you only wanted to be turned after we wed, because it would have been the perfect way to show our love to everyone..."

"Yeah, I admit I would have preferred that, but if turning earlier can make you happier, or at least suffer less, then it's all worth it...", Johnny replied with a candid look on his face, his cheeks blushing a little. "And what about the sun, Johnny?! We were supposed to start travelling in a few weeks, won't that hinder you?!", she retorted, full of concern. "I suppose so..." he replied, "but not anymore than you, so I don't mind..."

"And what about your family?! You still didn't present me to them! How do you think they'll react when they'll learn that not only you're in love with a vampire, you became one yourself, without asking them?!" Johnny thought about it long and hard, and answered, "Well, hopefully, they'll understand. If not, then they don't deserve to have me in their family. As long as I can be with you, Mavis, I'll sacrifice anything..."

Mavis couldn't hear anymore any longer. She collapsed on her bed, crying every tear her body could muster. Johnny went to her side, asking her, "Mavis?! What's wrong? I was supposed to make you happy, not sad..." She looked at him, her black makeup starting to run out, "You don't understand! You're ready to sacrifice everything you hold dear to yourself, just for my sake! How is that supposed to make me feel?! All because I'm too weak!"

"You're not weak, Mavis! After all, you can grad my neck and throw me 30 meters away like I'm a mere rag doll. You're far from weak!" Mavis looked at him with a blank stare on her face, and said in a monochrome voice, "You know what I meant Johnny, I'm not in the mood for jokes..."

"All right then, I understand that me being willing to sacrifice everything for you is making you feel bad. Then, how about a compromise?" Mavis started at him, intrigued, "Compromise? What do you mean?" To that, Johnny replied, "Well, we could try to continue living as if nothing happened, with you trying to control your urges. I won't leave your side, and I'll continue the same routine I had until the moment you had your accident. I won't be turned into a vampire, until the day we'll get wed, unless you lose control of yourself and bite me, even against my will. If that happens, I'll ask Drac to turn me into a vampire...I believe it would be a good compromise..."

Mavis looked at his zing with passionate eyes, overflowing with relief, "You would trust me that much, Johnny?" "Yes, anything for you." She then lunged at him, her lips locking on his.

Dracula could only stay on the sidelines to watch. He couldn't help but feel proud of his future son-in-law. If anything, he was good with words. With a smile on his face, he silently left the room, letting the two lovers alone.


	7. Chapter 7: Urges

It's been one week since Dracula, Johnny and Mavis had that conversation about the compromise, which consisted of letting Johnny being turned on his wedding day, unless she relapsed, in which case, Dracula would immediately turn him into a vampire. So far, everyone was able to get back to their routines, Mavis included. The only difference was that Mavis was now wearing a belt pouch, which contained a few Blood Beaters, to help her control her thirst towards Johnny's blood.

So far, she was able to control her urges, partly because she always made sure to have access to her blood substitutes, but mostly due to her willpower. She was very grateful to Johnny for his idea of the compromise. While she knew that Johnny would do anything for her, she didn't want him to be the one that always sacrificed something for her sake. She wanted to make sacrifices too for his sake as well, and because of that, she gladly fought her bloodlust, making her suffer silently at times, but at least her pride was preserved.

However, she noticed some changes within herself, especially when she was near Johnny. She was able to fight off her thirst for his blood, often resorting to having a Blood Beater handy, just in case. Still, when they were together, she was craving his very presence. The sound of his voice was like heaven to her ears, the warmth of his skin clashed deliciously against the coolness of her skin, his heartbeat drummed a delicious melody that enticed her very soul. She didn't know exactly what she desired in Johnny herself, but that desire grew stronger and stronger with each passing day.

Dracula must have noticed that something was off with his daughter, because he visited her room once again, to inquire about her, to see what was troubling her and also if he could help. After having knocked on her door, Dracula entered her room and sat next to her on her bed, putting his hand on her shoulders. "What's wrong Mavy-Wavy?" he asked, "I noticed you seemed uneasy all week, especially near Johnny... Is the call of his blood still troubling you?". He didn't like to ask this kind of question, as this would mean he wasn't entirely sure she would be able to resist Johnny, but, at the same time, he wanted to know what, if anything, was wrong.

She shot her head up, looking at her father's face, with a strongly worried look on her own, and replied, "I don't know, Dad! Even after drinking my Blood Beater, it seems my body still wants something from Johnny! This is a weird feeling to describe, it's similar to bloodlust, yet I don't think I want his blood anymore, like my body wants something else. Also, whenever I'm near him, or sometimes when I think about him, my body heat seems to rise up, like I'm on fire! Do you know what's wrong with me, Dad?"

She looked at her dad, her eyes seemingly pleading for him to have an answer. "My sweet little blood orange, there's nothing wrong with you at all...It's just that, after having found your zing, your body wants to enter another stage into your relationship." He bit his lip as he said that, because he knew what he had to tell Mavis. This is the kind of subject he always avoided with her. However, he didn't have any choice now... Oh, how he wished Martha was there, he was sure she would have had an easier time talking about that with her daughter...

Mavis replied back, with an inquisitive tone in her words, "What do you mean, another stage?". His voice filled with dread, her dad replied, "Mavy, do you remember when you asked me how to make a baby?" She laughed heartily, "Yes, you told me when a male and a female are in love strongly enough, children would suddenly appear in their lives. You also told me that, because of that, you were convinced that Uncle Wayne and Aunt Wanda were probably the couple that loved themselves the most..."

Dracula rolled his eyes, "Yes, yes, I did say that. I didn't lie either, but I left out the actual process of how babies are made..." Mavis looked back at her dad, slightly annoyed, "What? Even more secrets you hid from me? What was that for this time?!" Her dad looked back at her, scared of what to answer, "Look, honey, I didn't tell you because it is extremely embarrassing to put in words. Still, to answer your question, what I meant by another stage between you and Johnny is, well, your body wants to have children, so..."

"So...what now? Are you going to tell me how exactly Johnny and I can make a child, or are you going to stand there all night?" Dracula was really wishing that he gave her daughter a proper sexual education earlier. Still, he was glad that she asked him, before her instincts kicked in with Johnny and before they did the deed.

Resigned, he replied, "I will, just let me fetch a book to help." Having said that, he used his vampire speed to get a book in the library, getting back to Mavis in less than 10 seconds. "Here, read this, and you will know how...This is a book I, err, borrowed from the humans a while ago..." Mavis was getting really curious about the contents of that book, "What this book is about? And what kind of name is that? Ka..ma...Su...tra? What an odd name, even weirder than Hawee, err, Hawaii."

Dracula replied, "Mavis, this book will answer you about what your body desires with Johnny." He put a stern look into his face, before continuing, "However, I must warn you, the pictures inside are kinda elaborate and, well, might embarrass you at first..." He then realized, too late, that Mavis already started to read it. Her face was red, redder than he ever remembered seeing her.

"Holy rabies! What...is...that?" she said in a weak tone. "Mavis, this is how a male and female can make a child. The process had several names in the past, nowadays, it's either called making love, or having sex."

After having heard that, Mavis fainted on her bed. "Mavis?! MAVIS!" Dracula cried. "Darn, this could have gone smoother, what was I thinking?!"


	8. Chapter 8: Love

A few days have passed since her "talk" with her dad. She didn't know what to think anymore, on one hand she was finally getting over her blood addiction towards Johnny, but on the other hand, she craved for him, in a different way. She avoided him as much as possible since then, scared of what would happen if she were to lose control and give in to her lust. She wasn't afraid of hurting him per se, she knew she would never do that, at least on purpose, but what if she were too forceful about sex with him, and ruined their first time? That would cause a rift in their relationship, at the very least...

Johnny sensed that something was off with Mavis. Aside from the fact the she seemingly avoided him these last few days, he also noticed that she acted weird during last week, like her breathing was heavy and she seemed to shiver a lot when she was near him, like she had some kind of fever. At first, he dismissed his worries somewhat, because he thought those were side-effects of Mavis fighting her blood addiction. However, he started to become worried that something happened to her, like perhaps her blood addiction was starting to overpower her, or something like that.

Wanting to get to the bottom of this, he went to her room to talk to her. Of course, he knew that if she were losing to her blood addiction, he might put himself in danger again, but he didn't care. He might have acknowledged her pride's needs, but he still didn't want her to suffer, so if he could do anything to help her, he will do it...

Finally reaching her room, Johnny knocked and asked, "Mavis? I didn't see you much these last few days, are you all right?" She answered, in a defeated and not-so-convincing voice, "Yes, Johnny, I'm fine, I'm just a little tired, that's all..." Noticing how strange her voice sounded, he replied, "Are you sure? You don't sound so good...Is it because of me? Or my blood?" Mavis bit her lip, before replying, "No, Johnny, it's not you, it's me, something is bothering me, and it's not your blood..." Upon hearing this, Johnny was partly relieved, but was also curious, "What could be bothering her aside from my blood?", he thought. He then said to her, "Mavis, can I enter?", "I'd rather not Johnny, I want to be left alone..." Not ready to give up yet, he continued, "But you've been alone for the past few days! Look, I don't know what's eating you, but perhaps talking to me about it will make you feel better..." After a few seconds, Mavis reluctantly replied, "All right, Johnny, come in..."

He opened the door, and sat next to her on her bed. As much as he wanted her to tell him what was bothering her, he didn't want to force her to talk either, so he just waited, not saying a word. After a few minutes of awkward silence, Mavis finally gave in, "Johnny, why did you fall in love with me?" Johnny, not expecting that kind of question, almost shouted, in shock, "What?!" Mavis, feeling many conflicting emotions, insisted, "Please, Johnny, I need to know!"

Johnny, trying his best to regain his composure, replied, "Well, where do I begin? I love you because you're smart, strong, assertive, independent, and most of all, because you share the same burning desire to explore the world as I do. I also love you because I think you're the most beautiful girl my eyes ever laid on, with your eyes shining with a pristine ocean blue, inviting me to dive into them. I also love how your fangs reflect the light, illuminating your face. Let's not forget your hair, jet-black like the night itself, with your adorable bangs around your cute ears..."

Mavis was blushing quite a bit because of his lover's declaration. Still, he cut him off, visibly not quite satisfied with his answer. "You don't understand, I don't want to know why you're loving me NOW, I want to know why you fell in love with me in the first place, before you got to know my personality..."

Johnny then took a moment to think about it, trying to come with a satisfying answer. He found it weird that he was the subject of such an interrogation, but then he thought he kinda asked for it when he insisted to talk to her. He also figured that him opening up would encourage her to do the same, so he complied, "Well, this is going to be difficult to answer, but I'll try my best. As you know, I kinda freaked out when I realized that monsters like vampires, werewolves, mummies were real, and not only fairy tale stuff. When I accidently embarked on that witch's broom, and afterwards crashed into you, my mind was a mess, being scared of maybe being killed or eaten. Then, my eyes locked into yours, and I felt like time itself have stopped for an instant. I just couldn't look away. My mind was instantly soothed for a moment, and I knew right then that I found the girl of my dreams, and, believe me, I traveled far and wide to find you..."

Mavis, blushing even more of being the recipient of such adulation, shot back at him, trying to be as serious as she could be, "So, you fell in love with me because you knew I was the right girl for you, just by looking into my eyes? As beautiful as this sounds, doesn't it seems a little, well, shallow for a reason?" To that, Johnny replied, with a heavy sigh, "Well, it's really difficult to put it into words. If you want me to say it in another way, then it's because I felt something in my heart when I saw you for the first time, like an invisible force which guided me. I really don't know how to put it otherwise..."

Mavis then had a smile full of mischief, which, while Johnny found it cute, he also found it somewhat out of character for her. She continued, "Then, you didn't fall in love with me strictly because you were attracted to me sexually?" Upon hearing that, Johnny's face fell. If he thought he was in shock earlier, then it was nothing compared to what he was feeling now. He felt like his heart stopped, and he started to have cold sweat on his face.

Mavis then noticed how shocked Johnny was. Afflicted with remorse, she quickly covered her face with her hands, trying not to sob again, "Oh, Johnny, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have said that, it was a horrible thing to say. Forgive me, I'm going through a difficult time right now..." Johnny started to motion his arm to reach her shoulder, but then, something caught his eyes. It was a certain book, laying on Mavis nightstand, next to her bed. When he was able to read the title of that book, his face flushed red. He then realized what was "wrong" with her.

"Mavis...Who gave you this book?" She looked at him, her eyes full of shame, "It was my dad. When I told him and I had weird urges around you, like my body was craving your very presence, he gave me that, while telling me that a part of me wants to, well, you know..." She couldn't finish her sentence, as she were shaking uncontrollably. She hated herself right now, she used to be full of self-confidence, but, now, she was full of doubts.

"Whoa, Mavis, calm down! There's nothing wrong with desiring the one you love! I mean, yes, it's perhaps a little early, but at the same time, I understand perfectly." She then locked her eyes with his, determined to get to the bottom of the subject, "Really? You don't think I'm a freak or something?" To that, he simply replied, with a light laugh, "Oh, god, no! What you're experiencing is only natural. I mean, yes, sex between two people that don't care about each other and that only want physical pleasure, yes, I could see how you could view that as being bad. However, when two people who loves each other are making love, it's completely different. It's more than mere pleasure, it's about sharing a strong bond between lovers, synching heartbeats and breathes as the climax approaches. It's about feeling complete with your partner. It's about happily falling asleep with your lover afterwards, knowing you will be forever bound."

As Johnny went on with his explanations, he stopped for a moment to catch his breath. He was also pretty sure that his face was at least as red as Mavis'. He might have acted with confidence, in reality, he felt somewhat embarrassed to talk about such a topic with her. She looked at him, her eyes full of admiration, "It's amazing, not only you have traveled all around the world, you seem to be fairly knowledgeable about simple things I've missed..." Johnny grinned a little, "Well, I don't really have any merits, aside from being born in a more modern era. Nowadays, humans receive sexual education at school when they're teenagers."

Mavis was now feeling better. "Johnny was right, talking to someone really does help", she thought. Johnny continued to reassure her, "About your urges, don't worry about it. If it happens, it happens, there's nothing wrong with that, so long that both your body and your mind are ready."

Looking at the window, Johnny noticed that the sun was about to rise. "Say, Mavis, could you give me a lift towards the roof? For some reason, I want to see the sunrise with you right now..." Mavis giggled, "Alright Johnny", before morphing into a bat and using her talons to grab him by the collar of his shirt.


	9. Chapter 9: Fall

Mavis and Johnny gazed upon the sun as it rose. Johnny made sure that Mavis was safely hidden in the shadow of a chimney. "I know I've said it before, and I know I'll probably say it again, but, this...is the most incredible thing I've ever seen..." Mavis said softly, eyes filled with awe. "Yeah, I know." Johnny replied, "The view from this castle is simply amazing...I've traveled a lot, and I must admit that I'm not sure if I've seen a more beautiful scenery so far..."

Then Johnny looked intensely at the sun, with a pensive look on his face. "Hey, Mavis, why is it that vampires cannot withstand sunlight?" She looked slightly surprised at the sudden question, but tried to answer honestly, "I'm not sure, Johnny. Some say that we vampires are damned creatures, unable to be directly in the sunlight because it is representative of God's power, others say that it's simply because we hid in the shadows of the night for so long that our skin became sensitive to light. Honestly, I'm not sure, I just know that it hurts, that's all...Why do you ask?"

Johnny, still pensive, replied, "Well, I was thinking about the trips we're going to do soon, and, well, I must be honest, we'll miss out a lot if we travel only during the night..." Mavis looked at him, with a disappointed look on her face, "I know, Johnny, I don't like this either, if I had a choice, I would travel during the day too if the sun wasn't a threat to me, I love how colorful the world is when illuminated by the sun..."

"What about clothes then? Can they allow you to go into the sun?", Johnny replied, not wanting to give up on the subject. "Partly," she replied, "but it depends on the fabric of the clothes. For instance, the clothes that I like to wear, including my shoes, don't protect me from the sun. As far as I know, only leather clothing can allow us to go out during the day. However, even then, it's horribly uncomfortable, because leather clothing gets really hot under sunlight. And don't get me started on its rigidity either! My dad might like leather, but I hate it!"

Johnny could feel Mavis' frustration in her voice. He really wished he could do something about her and the sun. Then, his face seemed to illuminate, obviously, he got an idea. "Mavis, could you give me your hand? Oh, and could you remove your glove too? I need your hand to be bare..." She looked at him, with a perplexed look, "Why?". Johnny just grinned, "You'll see, if I'm right about this, you'll love this!"

She complied, removing her glove and the fishnet around her hand, before giving it to Johnny. She wasn't really sure what he wanted to do, but she played along. He rummaged through one of his pockets, until he found a small bottle. From the look of it, it seemed like a balm or a lotion of some sort. He took a generous amount of lotion, then vigorously, but gently, rubbed her hand, applying the lotion as evenly as possible. She felt that the lotion was odd, being pretty viscous. She wasn't too fond of its smell either, it didn't stink, but it smelled like perfumed plastic, or something like that...

"What is this lotion for, Johnny?", she asked, getting more and more confused. He grinned even more, "You'll see...Now, take your hand and slowly stick it into the sunlight!" She looked back at him, not amused at all, "Are you nuts? Do you know how much the sun hurts to us? It's like if somebody poured boiling water on your skin, the pain is excruciating!" He then replied, looking more serious than ever, "Mavis...I wouldn't ask you to do this for nothing...Why do you think I applied that lotion on your hand? If my idea works, you're going to be thrilled!"

Mavis started to get really curious about what Johnny's idea was. She then complied, slowly exposing the skin of her hand to the sun. She closed her eyes, she tensed her body, she closed her fists, she winced over the pain that would usually come. She winced, she winced, and she winced. Then, she realized that the pain wasn't coming like it usually would, instead, only a gentle warmth came. She then looked at her hand, and was in utter shock...She could see the sunlight on her, gently caressing her skin. She could feel the warmth of the sun, making her feel more alive than ever. She could see the reflection of her skin, which emitted a pristine white even when basked in the yellowish light of the sun. Her body started to shake with excitement. She looked at Johnny, and said, "Holy rabies! What did you do?"

Johnny replied, with a smile plastered on his face, "I wasn't sure if this would work, but it seems to. What I did was applying a lotion called sunblock. We humans invented that because even to us, the sun can be harmful in the long term...Mavis, it seems that you'll be able to go outside, even during the day, now..." Her ears heard all that, but her mind still couldn't believe it! Could she really go outside during the day? Could she really stop seeing the sun as a threat? After having processed that, she leaped into his arms, crying loudly.

"Whoa! Mavis, what's wrong?!" he stated, dumbfounded. She said nothing, only emptying her heart for a few minutes. She then composed herself, still sniffling a little, "Nothing's wrong, Johnny! It's the opposite, everything is right! Do you know how desperately I wished for a way to go outside in the sun?! Now we'll be able to visit everywhere we'll want, not having to wonder about the sun! Thank you, Johnny, thank you so much..."

Johnny didn't say anything. He just hugged her softly, cherishing this moment, hoping it would last forever. He then noticed that the sun had almost fully risen, so, like the first time he showed her a glimpse of the sun during the 118th birthday, he gently tugged her arms, and slowly trekked backwards. He felt in heaven, feeling that nothing would ever go wrong again...

Oh, how wrong he was...

Johnny forgot that the roof's structure was shaky at best, and like the first time, he fell through the sauna room. Only difference now, Dracula wasn't there to break his fall...

"Johnny?!" Mavis shouted at the new hole in the roof where he fell.

No answer...

"Johnny?! Are you alright?! Are you hurt?!", she shouted, getting more and more worried, she knew that humans were somewhat fragile compared to monsters...

No answer still...Except that, her nose was starting to sense a powerful smell, an intoxicating smell that she was too familiar with. Without even thinking, she changed into her bat form and dove into the hole, reaching the sauna room where Johnny crashed...

She was horrified...

She found her zing, his neck having smashed the rim of a ceramic bench, laying on the ground, blood oozing from his mouth, nose and ears. With tears streaming from her eyes, she lifted his body, where his head tilted at an unnatural angle, his neck obviously broken. "JOHNNY?!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

She almost had a breakdown, holding her dying lover in her arms, sensing him slipping away. She pondered, why was life able to be so cruel?! Why did her dad had to suffer when her mom died?! Why does she have to suffer if Johnny dies?!

She then slapped herself, hard enough to leave a red imprint, to compose herself. She regained a tiny sliver of her composure, and used every superhuman senses she had to scan Johnny's body. She sensed that he was still alive, but his heartbeat was rapidly diminishing, since the brain is no longer able to regulate vital functions when the spinal cord in the neck area is damaged. His breathing was also almost gone too...She knew he had less than 2 minutes before being truly dead...

She then muttered to herself, "Please, Johnny, don't leave me yet...No matter how big the world outside is, you are the world to me... You made me feel alive, you even saved my life... Now, it's my turn..."

She did the only thing she could do...

She bit him, draining almost all of his remaining blood. Then, using every ounce of her willpower, she fought back her predatory instinct to not finish him off. She then picked up a ceramic shard, and sliced open one of her wrists...

As she forced Johnny to drink her own blood, hoping it would be enough to prevent him of dying, she mentally collapsed then. She emitted a wailing scream, powerful enough to shatter glass, which reverberated through the entire hotel...

"DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDDDDDDD!"


	10. Chapter 10: Anchor of Salvation

As usual, since the sun was about to rise, Dracula was getting ready to go sleep in his coffin. He pondered to himself how many surprises fate planned for him, Mavis and Johnny. So many things happened since Johnny entered Mavis' life, both good and bad. However, he knew that children, when left alone to their own devices, will stumble and fall, will laugh and cry, will let both the good and the bad events of life shape who they will become. He reflected on what happened, and, while he wished her daughter didn't have to go through more pain than was necessary, a part of him was proud of her, since she was closer and closer to becoming an adult... Then, something that froze his own blood in his veins snapped him out of his pensive state.

"DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDDDDDDD!"

Dracula's hearing, just like his eyesight, was much sharper than a human's. When it was concerning Mavis' safety, he had something like a sixth sense, he was able to hear her, no matter the distance, nor the loudness of the noise. However, Mavis' scream was so loud that even a human would have heard. He quickly bolted towards the source of the scream, fearing the worst, since he never heard such despair in her daughter's voice in his whole life.

He reached the sauna room, following his ears. He could hear Mavis' cries, which seemed full of hysteria. When he entered the room, he froze, horrified. If his heart could beat, it would have stopped at the scene he witnessed. She saw her daughter holding the broken body of Johnny, crying loudly, her tears making her face smeared with her makeup, blood trickling from her mouth. He wasn't able to pick up any life-signs from him. He was starting to believe that she gave into her hunger, and killed him. He was growing full of despair, because, if Mavis became an out of control blood-thirsty vampire, he knew that he might have to kill her, for the sake of every monster in existence.

Fortunately for him, before he could delve deeper into such thoughts, he noticed several details that, in a way, reassured him. He noticed the hole in the ceiling, remembering that Johnny did crash on him when he was in the sauna, arguing with Frank, Murray, Wayne and Griffin about Mavis hitting off with Johnny. He also saw the smashed ceramic rim, as well as Johnny's broken neck. Lastly, he noticed Mavis' wrist, which was sliced off and dripping blood. He then understood roughly what had transpired, Mavis didn't kill Johnny, she tried to save him. However, he knew that the process of turning a human into a vampire is risky, because even a fully healthy human had a chance of dying during the process, so he knew that the odds of Johnny's survival looked quite grim.

Like the first time, when Johnny nearly died giving his blood to his daughter, he used his telekinetic powers to freeze his body, hoping to buy him some time. He then forcefully pried his body from Mavis' arms, which screamed in protest, still in a state of hysteria. He knew that she wouldn't be able to listen to a single word in the state she's in, so he used his hypnotic powers to put her to sleep, making her fall on the ground like a puppet whose strings are cut. He then carried Johnny to the infirmary, hoping, for Mavis' sake, that he would survive.

* * *

Two days have passed since Johnny almost died in his fall. He was lying on a bed in the infirmary, being in a comatose state ever since. Mavis was on his lap, desperately clinging to him, fearing that he would die if she ever let go. She also didn't wear any makeup, because she knows it would just smear on her face, with her crying on his deathbed. Lastly, she didn't eat nor drink anything, much to Dracula's dismay, which made her look literally like a living corpse, her face having lost pretty much any colors.

Dracula was sitting on a chair in the corner of the room, silently in pain, watching his precious daughter suffer so much. The nurse of the hotel did everything she could to help Johnny, but she stated that his odds of ever waking up were below 30 %. In reality, he wasn't in danger of "dying" anymore, but, since his nervous system was damaged when Mavis turned him, it was possible that his body would just stay in that comatose state forever, which was, in a way, worse than death, because there's always going to be a faint glimmer of hope that he will wake up, preventing the beginning of his mourning.

Dracula was cursing fate for being so cruel to them. Seeing Mavis and Johnny like that re-opened old wounds within him, making him remember how much he loved Martha, the time they spent together, Mavis' birth, the promise he made to her, which was to build a safe haven for any monster from the persecutions of humankind, and, sadly, how she died because of the blind hatred of humans. He knew exactly how Mavis felt, the pain of losing your lover is unbearable. Seeing his daughter feeling the same pain that he felt, and still feels to this day, is absolutely maddening to him, because he knows there's very little he can do to alleviate her pain.

Suddenly, he raised his head, having noticed that Mavis released Johnny's body from her clutches and was standing up. Tears were streaming from her eyes, but she wasn't sobbing anymore, she just let her tears flow without any resistance whatsoever. "Dad? Could you do me a favor?", she asked pleadingly. Dracula, who would do anything to lessen his daughter's pain, cheerfully replied, "Yes! Yes! Anything for you! Well...anything except erasing your mind, I don't want you to forget the happy memories you created with Johnny, no matter how much you're suffering..."

To that, Mavis replied, with a slightly irritated tone, "I don't... Forgetting Johnny because I suffer would be like denying he ever existed, it would be like killing him a second time, I'll never forget him, even... if ...he ...never gets back..." She was obviously trying to contain her sobbing at the end of that sentence, hating to ever consider that possibility. She then continued, with a tired tone, "I just want to talk to you alone, Dad...Can we fly on the roof?"

"Yes! Of course, Mavy-Wavy! I'll do anything if that can make you happier!", he replied snappily. She chuckled a little, and replied softly, "Thanks, Dad!" before morphing to a bat and flying towards the roof of the hotel, her dad closely following her lead.

* * *

Mavis and her dad were sitting on the roof, not saying a word for several minutes. She hung her head low, resting it on her knees, overwhelmed with sadness and fear. Dracula stood awkwardly still, eyes wide open, not too sure what to do. He chose to keep his silence, waiting for his daughter to open up to him, not wanted to force it. Finally, she broke up her silence, "Dad...During these last days, I thought about it over in my head several times...I...I...I don't know how you'll take it, you're going to freak out..."

"Don't worry, my sweet little blood-orange, just let it out, I'll support you no matter what...", he replied, trying his best to put on a warm face to make her feel better. "You promise you won't freak out?" she said. "Of course, Mavis!", he replied, crossing his fingers and resting them on his heart. "Well, I thought about it over and over, no matter if Johnny wakes up or not, in a few months, I plan to have sex with him..." She said, cringing and wincing, because she knew that her dad will freak out.

However, instead of that, only silence followed. After a few moments, she mustered enough courage to look at her dad, which, to her surprise, was surprisingly calm, his head slightly tilted sideways, looking pensive. Only one word came from his mouth, with a tone devoid of judgment, just wanting to understand, "Why?". She bit her lip, and continued, "Because I want him to have a legacy. Because I want something to live for. Because I want to bear his child in my womb. Because I want to know what it is to be a mother..."

Dracula inquired, still calm, almost in a creepy way, "How are you going to do "the act" if Johnny's unconscious?" Mavis blushed quite a bit, obviously being embarrassed, "Well, I asked the nurse when you weren't around, I found out that the male, erm, "organ" can be stimulated into action, even if the brain isn't working..."

Lastly, Dracula asked, "Having a child is a huge responsibility, are you sure about this?". To that, Mavis replied, almost choking in her sobs, "Yes...I'm sure...You're probably going to hate me for saying this, but Johnny was the world for me. In the short time I knew him, he illuminated my soul so brightly, that I would die without him. If he ever were to die, as I am now, I'll be honest, I'll probably commit suicide..."

Upon hearing that last sentence, Dracula felt as if somebody shoved a wooden stake in his heart. Tears were forming in his eyes, he already lost Martha, if he lost Mavis too, he couldn't fathom it...Before he could say anything, or shed a tear, Mavis continued, "However, if I'm able to bear his child into this world, I feel I would be able to survive, using my child as a reason to continue living...Forgive me, Dad, you probably don't understand what I'm thinking right now..."

Much to her surprise, Dracula gave her a strong embrace, wrapping her entire body, save her head, into his mantle. He was crying loudly now, which surprised her even more, not used to see her proud father like that. "Oh, Mavis... You're wrong, I understand completely how you're feeling! When your mother died, I thought countless times about simply ending it all, about ending my pain, perhaps slaughtering as many humans as I could before perishing. However, every time I was on the verge of losing my mind, only one thing was able to help me keep my sanity..."

Mavis inquired, although she guessed what the answer was, "What was it, Dad? What was the thing that helped you go through all that?" Dracula looked at her, straight into her eyes, "It was you, Mavis! Each time I felt my mind was about to fracture, a simple smile from you, a simple giggle, was all I needed to feel better. If you didn't exist, I wouldn't be alive now! You were my anchor of salvation, that I felt I could cling to to feel alive. I completely understand why you want a child, and you have my full support!"

Mavis wanted to answer, but couldn't. All she could do was sob in her father's mantle, while he also did the same. They both felt sad, yet happy. They both cursed fate, yet thanked it...

* * *

_Author's note: Alright. That chapter was a little darker than I thought, but overall I believe I did a good job finally getting that idea out of my head, an idea I got ever since I've read "CHAPTER 16 - Through the Looking Glass" of the fanfic Demon's Heart from callmemavy. _

_While I'm feeling relieved that I finally got it out of my head, I'm kinda stumped. That idea that germinated in my head was the sole reason I created this fanfic, and I intended to finish it soon after. However, I found out that I like writing, and, perhaps I don't want to finish it yet. So, if any of you want to leave me suggestions, ideas, requests, on how this story could continue, either through reviews or private messages, I'll be honored to try. I do want to avoid creating or using original characters if possible, as I prefer to keep my story closely focused on Mavis, Johnny and Dracula._

_I'm not the best author about fanfics, as this was my first tentative, still, this was a very fun experience, and I hope to continue a little longer._


	11. Chapter 11: Depression

One month later...

Johnny still lies motionless on his bed, showing no progress or hints of recovery. Mavis spent most of her free time by his side, whispering in his ear about how much she loves him, and about the trips she wanted to do with him. Also, each time she was by his side, she couldn't avert her eyes from him, as if she were in a trance.

Even though he was turned into a vampire, Johnny's physical appearance didn't change much. His flowing red hair was messy as always. Of course, he was now much paler than before, but aside from that, his physique didn't really change. When looking at him, she always thought to herself, often restraining a sob. "At least, even as a vampire, he's still as ...gorgeous as ever..."

While she didn't really ate much anymore, claiming she didn't have any appetite, at least she was drinking her Blood Beaters. While she didn't quite look like a corpse anymore, she was still looking worse for wear, since she pretty much stopped caring about herself, a side effect of being depressed.

She stopped wearing make-up altogether, since she often cried until her tear ducts became empty. Her eyes were now bloodshot and extremely red thanks to that fact. Her hair was a mess as well, but not the same kind of messy as Johnny's, her hair simply looked dull now, having split-ends everywhere, becoming broken from lack of care... Lastly, she stopped doing her nails as well too, since she developed the habit of chewing on them. They were now uneven, cracked, broken, with small wounds all around them...

Dracula was of course witnessing her daughter fall deeper and deeper into depression, which tore him apart from his insides. He often asked her if she wanted somebody to assist her in her daily routine, whether it was him directly, or perhaps a maid. She always refused, not having a care in the world how she looked like, so long that she could be on Johnny's side. He was extremely tempted at times to simply hypnotize her, at least to force her to take better care of herself, but he never did, because he knew that would not solve anything, plus, he always hated the idea of being able to mold his daughter's very soul like playdough, finding that very unethical to say the least...

* * *

Two months later...

Mavis' mental state deteriorated even further. Dracula often found her rambling incoherent words at odd times. She often suffered from delirium as well, seeing Johnny everywhere she went. She also refuses to even drink her blood substitutes, forcing her dad to force feed her to ensure she's still living...

Dracula was also extremely wary of Mavis' location at all times, because, one time where she was on the roof, her favorite spot to wind down and weep, she watched the sunrise, amazed by the sun's magnificence, illuminating the scenery of Transylvania, showing a myriad of colors go through the valley, the cliffs, the trees, the birds...That reminded her of the magic moment where she firmly realized that Johnny was her zing...

The only problem was, well, she didn't want to move. She was so overtaken by her sadness and melancholy that, even when the sunlight started to singe her toes, she didn't move at all. She just thought to herself, too emotionally tired to even cry, "I'm tired of all this pain, Johnny! I want to be with you...If you are truly brain-dead, you might be in the afterlife...I want to join you..."

Thankfully, Dracula was in the vicinity, because he noticed that the sun was about to be up, so he went to Mavis' room to be sure her daughter was okay. After he knocked, receiving no answers, he decided to barge in. Much to his horror, Mavis was nowhere to be found, and the window was wide open. Not thinking twice, even though the sun still hurt him as much as ever, he still morphed into a bat and went outside.

What he saw then, no words can convey the pain his heart felt, not even the pain from the sun was registering anymore. He saw her daughter sitting motionless in the sun, not even showing a care in the world. Her skin was blistering, becoming redder than a lobster. Her flesh was also starting to decompose, large chunks of skin were falling on the ground, sizzling...She was getting so damaged that she seemed to age at a frighteningly rapid rate, looking older than Martha.

Dracula didn't lose a second, she rushed towards her daughter, because he knew that while he was strong enough to withstand the sunlight for a certain amount of time, Mavis was not. Flying at breakneck speed, he grabbed the neck of Mavis' shirt with his talons are hurriedly tugged her to her room. He then bit his own wrist, and forced Mavis to drink his own blood. Thanks to that, she recovered quickly, she now looked like she just suffered a minor sunburn.

After making sure her daughter was safe and sound, Dracula, much to his chagrin, raised his hand towards her for the second time in his life, making his slap echo through the whole hotel. He angrily asked her, "Mavis! What were you thinking?! You almost died out there!". Mavis replied to that, her voice broken, "I don't care! Johnny is not coming back, is he?! This is too hard, I'm not strong enough to suffer any longer...I don't have a reason to live anymore..."

Dracula calmed down a bit and composed himself. His anger was now completely replaced by a soft sadness. Trying to reassure his daughter, he told her, in the sweetest tone he could muster, "Mavy...Trust me, mouse, I know how you feel, I've been there too! Didn't you want to bear Johnny's child within you to give you the courage to live on?".

Mavis, now calmer herself, responded in a more consistent voice, but still shaky, "Yeah...I did say that, but I had some time to think it more thoroughly, if I become pregnant with his child, and then he wakes up, how will he react? I'm afraid he might even hate me...". Mavis tried hard to restrain her tears, obviously tired of crying, but to no avail...

Dracula then continued, full of concern, "Mavy-Wavy, I know what you mean...But if Johnny wakes up, only to find out that...you're...no longer in this world, how do you think he'll take it? No, no, no, no, I'm sure he'll understand in time if he ever wakes up..."

Mavis then took a deep breath, then said, seemingly relieved, "Yeah, I guess you're right, dad...I'm sorry to have put you through all that, I was only thinking of myself, I must have hurt you as well these last few months..."

Dracula then bore a huge smile and hugged her daughter in his mantle, "Don't worry, my precious little blood-orange...I know how hard it is to lose a loved one...But I want you to take better care of yourself, you need to be more healthy for what is coming..." To which Mavis readily replied, "Yeah..."

* * *

Three months later...

While Mavis was still sad, she was now past her depression, looking forward to a better tomorrow. She now happily ate or drink, like she was before that ordeal happened. She tried her best to get her body back in good shape, she took care of her body again, she looked pretty much as healthy as she was before. She prepared herself, because she knew that tonight was her big night...

At the end of the night, where the sun was almost rising, she went to Johnny's room. However, instead of having her usual attire, she only wore a white silk gown. After entering the room, she obviously locked the door, not wanting to be disturbed. She slowly approached Johnny, still in his dormant state. She softly whispered in his ear, "Johnny, my zing, my love, I'm doing this for you, for me, for us...I hope that, if you ever wake up, you will understand, and forgive me..."

Having said that, she then disrobed, revealing her pristine and perfect body, only wishing that Johnny could see her. She went on top of him, being mixed between feeling guilty and excited. Then, she slowly and gently did the deed, making sure to have his seed within her, while constantly whispering, "I love you...I always have, I always will..."


	12. Chapter 12: Speranza

Two months have passed since that fateful night...While Johnny still lies dormant in his comatose state, at least there was an air of happiness within the hotel. Dracula tended to his duties has usual, which was always an impressive feat, given the size of the hotel. Also, to honor the memory of Johnny, he finally finished modernizing his establishment, which meant that they now had access to electricity, as well as technology that was now taken for granted by the humans, like television.

Most of the monsters, before the arrival of Johnny, were deathly afraid of humans, so they really were behind technology-wise. As a result, most of them were amazed by the sudden modernization of the hotel. One monster in particular was especially ecstatic by all of this...Mavis...

She really fell in love with watching the television, she felt like she now had a window of the whole world. She wondered how humans were able to fit into such a tiny box, until her dad gave her a rough explanation of how it really worked, making her facepalm, imagining with a happy and yet slightly sad smile how much Johnny would be laughing and grinning if he heard what she thought.

While Dracula was happy that her daughter loved the new technology he brought, he grew concerned, because she spent most of her days holed in her room, only watching television and doing nothing else. He told her, trying not to sound too solemn, "Mavy-Wavy, I know you love watching television, it's new to you and all, but just doing that all night can't be healthy for you, especially in your state...". She then replied with a mischievous tone, trying to look oblivious, "My state? What do you mean by that, dad?". She was softly caressing her belly while saying that...

Even though Mavis still looked thin, a modest but visible bump was beginning to show on her belly. Dracula replied, slightly annoyed with Mavis' playful tone, "You know what I mean...I know that, with you being pregnant, you cannot overexert yourself, but you still need to do some activities to stimulate your body...Being immobile all day cannot be good for the baby..."

She frowned a little, and said, "I know, I know...It's just all new to me, being able to see the human world from that amazing contraption...". She then smirked, before continuing, "I must admit that some exercise would do me some good, and I'm getting a little hungry now...How about we go catch some scorpions to eat, dad?"

Upon hearing this, Dracula's face lightened up, forcing himself to contain a huge smile, as scorpion hunting was one of his favorites father-daughter activities to do..."With pleasure, my lovely bat, but we'll go slow, okay? I don't want you to hurt yourself...". Mavis rolled her eyes, annoyed with her father's overprotective nature, "I'll be fine, dad...I might be pregnant, but I'm not that fragile..."

They then went outside, chasing and eating scorpions at a slow pace. Mavis' bump was somehow more prominent in her bat form, so, even though she didn't want to admit it, she had to be careful while flying, being heavier than usual and having to use more energy to fight against gravity...

After having snacked on their last scorpion, they decided to perch on the branch of a tree to rest and admire the view, which, while slightly spooky, was simply breathtaking. Dracula then asked her daughter, laying his red eyes on her, "I wonder about something...I know it's still early, and that we don't know yet about the gender of my grandchild, but have you thought about which names you could give to him or her?"

Mavis then beamed a huge smile towards her dad, her huge blue eyes shining with pride, "Yes, no matter the gender, I've already decided about the name..." Her dad, surprised, inquired, "Really? What is it?" She then replied, full of confidence with a huge grin, "Speranza...It's a word that means "Hope"...Hope for a better tomorrow...Hope to be with my child...Hope to ever see Johnny again, no matter how long the wait..."Her voice was starting to be shaky, as speaking about Johnny was still obviously a sore subject for her, and tears were starting to form in her eyes...

Dracula replied, slightly saddened, "Speranza...It sounds somewhat exotic, but I believe it's a beautiful name...You still miss him, don't you?" To that, she glared at him, somewhat flustered and angered at the same time, "Of course I am! Johnny's my zing, my lover! No matter how many decades or centuries will pass by, my love towards him will still linger...I'd sacrifice anything to bring him back..."

Dracula apologized to her, and hugged her, drying her tears with his fur. He then proposed her to fly back to the hotel, that this was enough exercise for today. Then, while they flew, he thought to himself, trying to hide his concerns from his daughter, pensive, "She'd sacrifice anything to bring him back...Perhaps...I should ask them what they could do for Johnny..."

Somehow, he slightly shivered at that thought, fearing what the outcome would be if he ever asked them for their help...

* * *

___Author's note: Sorry about the mellowness of this chapter, as well as its shortness...I just needed to write something slow and smooth to transition towards the next chapters, which I promise will be more intense..._

___As always, I'm glad for any reviews, be them positive or negative..._


	13. Special notice

Wallaceb, a reader that devoted a lot of his time reviewing many of our stories, as well as beta-reading for many of us, now has begun to write his own stories...Now, I believe it's his turn to be in the spotlight, and our turn to review his story...

I can personally vouch for it...Will it please everyone? Perhaps not...Is it worth checking out? I really believe so...

Sorry about this kind of notice, I just thought this was an exception worthy of it...

You can check out his stories, they are called Meet the Parents and Meet the Monsters.


	14. Chapter 13: Sacrifice

**I want to thank the following people...**

**clemce666: For giving me an idea for this chapter;**

**callmemavy: For giving me permission to use elements of his story;**

**wallaceb: For brainstorming ideas with me;**

_**hatchlingpendragon: For **__**beta-reading **__**this chapter and correcting my grammar. **__**I didn't know I was that **__**bad**__** at writing in English, I **__**made **__**so many mistakes**__**...**_

**Enjoy!**

* * *

It's been a week since Dracula and Mavis had a discussion while catching and eating scorpions. Mavis returned to her routine, which was to watch television, but in a reasonable way. She took several strolls a day, to be sure to exercise herself just enough to stay healthy but not too much to harm her baby. She ate for two, having strange cravings like putting scream cheese on mouse-jelly, which made even her father squirm in disgust...

Lastly, she made sure to see Johnny in his room every day... There was no progress in his state, and the nurse said that the chances he might even wake up one day were slim at best... Still, each time she went to see him, she tried her best not to feel too sad, remembering the happy times Johnny brought to her in his short time. Even though he was still unconscious, she still talked to him, stating how awesome the changes in the hotel were, with the addition of electricity and television, among other things. She talked to him about how she wished to travel all around the world with him, how her pregnancy was progressing, stating how indescribable feeling life within her was. Finally, before leaving him, she always told him that she would sacrifice anything to bring him back, before leaving in a saddened state, trying hard not to cry...

Dracula was always lurking in the shadows when Mavis was in Johnny's room, eavesdropping and being sad for Mavis. Since last week, he heard Mavis saying several times that she would do anything to bring her zing back, and it was beginning to haunt him greatly. It haunted him because he knew of a way to possibly bring Johnny back, but he was terrified, knowing how risky it could be for him and maybe even his daughter... He tried his best to shoo away this idea from his head, but seeing Mavis silently shedding tears because of Johnny's absence got the better of him, making him think, "Well, there's no harm in telling her..."

He waited patiently the next night, staying in front of Johnny's door, waiting for Mavis. When she came up to see him, she asked, slightly surprised, "Dad? What are you doing here?" He then replied with a stern tone, "There's something I need to tell you...but not here in the hallway. Can you come with me?" Mavis, startled by her dad's request, silently nodded and followed him to his room. It was still as dark as ever, even she had troubles making out objects, despite her heightened vision. Still, there was one object that was clearly visible, a gigantic frame on the wall, with a picture of her parents inside, in happier times, clearly happy and in love. In the past, that picture always pinched her heart a little, with seeing her dead mother so happy with her dad. But now, seeing it reminded her of how much her dad must have suffered too, filling her with melancholy...

She averted her eyes now shifting her focus on her dad, who just locked the door. She then asked, intrigued, "Well, what do you want to tell me?" Dracula steeled himself, fearing her reaction, "It's about Johnny... You're probably going to be really angry, but I cannot hide this from you any longer... I know of a way to possibly bring him back...I always knew..." He then looked at her... At first, she was motionless, immobile as a statue, her eyes and her mouth wide open in shock. Then, something snapped within her, her eyes grew red, her face became distorted by anger, her fangs were even more elongated than usual... She looked so angry that it seems she would bite her dad's head off...

She stormed at him, shouting so loudly that the entire staff of the hotel would have heard, if they're weren't in Dracula's insulated room. Her dad, looking very afraid and guilty, was covering most of his body in his mantle, only his eyes visible while her daughter barked, "What?! How COULD you?! How DARE you?! Do you even KNOW how much I've suffered these past months?! Yet, you KNEW all along of a way to heal him?! Because I thought he was gone forever, I went through a depression, almost letting myself melt in the sun. Because I wanted something to live for, a child, I...made love to him without his consent... Do you know how BAD I feel at times because of that?!"

Dracula tried to regain his composure, visibly shaken by his daughter's anger... He tentatively spoke, in a broken voice, "Pl... Please, Ma...Mavis... Just hear me out... The reason I kept that hidden from you is because...it could be extremely dangerous..." Having said that, he hoped that his daughter's anger would fade, but she stormed, angrier than ever, "That's not a reason! You know how much I love Johnny, I would sacrifice everything for him...even my life!"

He then replied, finally standing upright and having regained a modicum of confidence, "I know... So that's why I'm going to tell you everything...even about things I never wanted you to find out... Then, you will be able to make your choice..."

Mavis was able to calm down a little, but she was still obviously angry with her dad. She went to her dad's coffin, dusting the lid a little with her hand, before sitting on it, "Alright, Dad! If you want to tell me everything, then do so, I'm all ears!" Dracula, having heard that, was able to force a little smile, before beginning, "Very well, my lovely ghoul! First things first, you do know that, among both monsters and humans, I am fairly famous and I have my share of legends... What do you know about them?"

Mavis, somewhat surprised at her dad's question, was able to relax herself a little, letting escape a small chuckle. However, she was still a little mad at him, so she tried to force at least a small frown, before answering, "Yeah, you mean all that stuff about you fearing holy water, mirrors, crosses... About you being a murderer and having slaughtered thousands of humans in the past to gain your immortality... You already told me that all those legends were false, so why bring them up?" Dracula sighed, knowing what will happen soon, "I lied, Mavis... Not all of these legends were false..."

Mavis now looked at her dad, looking paler than usual. If there was any anger left in her, that last sentence drained it. She was motionless, and was just staring at her dad. Dracula, feeling uneasy, still pressed on, "About holy water and crosses, it's true, those are complete rubbish. Though I forsook my humanity long ago, I still have faith in God, so that was something humans invented about me... For mirrors, it's the same... I do not fear them, I just can't see my reflection, that's all... But, about that last part...about me murdering humans for becoming immortal..."

Dracula paused a bit, trying to calm down and gather enough courage to continue. While doing so, he looked at his daughter, to see how she was reacting so far... She was nearly motionless, except that she was now shaking with fear... That was the last thing he wanted, his daughter fearing him... Still, he went this far, so now he had no choice. He took a deep breath, before admitting, "Yes, that legend about me, wasn't a legend after all... It is true, I DID murder humans in the past, both for obtaining immortality, and for feeding myself afterward..."

Mavis, after hearing all that, was shaking beyond control. She tried to calm herself down, biting her lower lip so hard that a small drop of blood beaded from her lip. After taking several deep breaths, contempt took the place of her fear, and she addressed her father, glaring at him coldly and with a very reproachful tone, "So, my dad is a liar, and also a murderer... What am I supposed to think now?" Dracula could only answer, in a remorseful tone, "I know... You'll probably fear me or hate me for now on... I won't deny it anymore, I was once a cruel ruler, who made a pact with powerful and devilish creatures, the Lamias, which are snakelike humanoids with extremely powerful magic, to become the very first vampire in existence... I had to slaughter a thousand humans as a tribute to pay for my wish...In fact, all other vampires besides me existed as a result of me feeding off humans left and right, infecting some of them..."

Before Mavis could react in any way, Dracula sped towards her, and swiftly but gently held her hands, looking at her, straight in her eyes, "I was a monster, in every definition of the word... Only satisfying my needs, not having a care in the world about others... Only when I met your mother, only then was I able to see the errors of my ways... She was able to change me, a heartless monster, into a loving and caring husband...and father... She saved my soul..."

Both father and daughter were now breathing heavily, emotions stirring aplenty, both of them getting teary-eyed. Mavis then asked pleadingly, "Why are you telling me all this, Dad? What does this have to do with saving Johnny?" Her dad continued, more serious than ever before, "Honey-bat, I had to tell you all that so you would understand how dangerous the way I know to bring Johnny back would be... We could try to make a pact with the Lamias, the very same creatures that granted me immortality... However, they are very cruel and will no doubt ask a great sacrifice in exchange... I fear what they could ask of us, of me, of you..."

Mavis closed her eyes, trying hard to assimilate all the information she received from her dad. "So, as I understand it, you know very powerful creatures that possess the power to bring Johnny back, but the price to pay may be high, am I right?" Her dad answered, fearful of what his daughter would decide, "Yes... That's pretty much it... But, Mavis, they are evil beyond measure, only taking pleasure in watching others suffer. There's no doubt that the sacrifice they will ask will be great..." She then snapped at him, somewhere in-between being angry and excited, "I don't care, Dad! Didn't you hear me?! I would sacrifice anything for Johnny!" She then calmed down a little, softening her voice, "Look, I know you want what's best for me, and that you're afraid of what might happen... But I really love Johnny, I feel empty without him. If there's any hope to bring him back, then I must try..."

Dracula sighed in defeat, not sure how to feel... "Very well... We will summon them, and ask for their aid... Follow me, we must prepare the summoning ritual..." With that said, he brought with him several components necessary for the summoning, including a tome of black magic, candles, blood, the typical materials for a demonic ritual... They then went into Johnny's room, where they prepared the ceremony... They painted a pentagram on the floor with blood, putting candles on the outer edges... With all that done, Dracula opened his book, and began to utter words in ancient Romanian, words that were gibberish to Mavis.

After a few hours, an extremely dark light shone in the center of the pentagram, almost blinding Dracula and Mavis. When they opened their eyes, they beheld the sight of a Lamias, which looked like a young and beautiful witch with glowing green eyes. Her torso looked normal enough, but instead of having legs, she had a massive snakelike tail. Her tongue was forked as well, and she bore a sadistic look on her face. With a rasping voice she exclaimed, "Vlad the Impaler... What a surprise! How long has it been since we last met..."

Dracula waved his hand in a dismissive way, almost like he was shooing a fly, "Not long enough if it were up to me! I wouldn't take the risk to call you again if my need wasn't so dire..." She hissed in response, "Don't be like that, Vlad! We go way back, don't we? Anyway, enough with the small talk, what exactly is your wish?"

Before Dracula could do anything, Mavis stood before the creature, kneeling to her, almost begging, "It's not my dad that wants something, it's me!" She then pointed towards the bed, where Johnny lay, "I want you to heal him, I tried turning him into a vampire to save his life, but he went into a coma since... Please, I'll sacrifice anything you want, just save him!" The Lamias then bore a huge sadistic smile, which made Dracula shudder, "Anything, you say? Are you sure about that?" Mavis then snapped at her, almost at the breaking point, "Yes! Anything!"

The evil creature then licked her lips in delight. She proceeded to examine Johnny for a few minutes, then said to Mavis with a huge grin, "Very well! I can grant you your wish! In a few days, your lover will wake up, completely healed, as a vampire... However, I demand a big sacrifice from you to fuel that wish...Instead of where I gave your father immortality, I want to have the immortality from you and your unborn child!"

Dracula, upon hearing that, exploded in a fit of rage. He took the creature by the neck, and just before he could slay her, Mavis stopped him, "Dad! Stop! She might be my only chance to see Johnny again!" Her dad looked at her, very scared and flustered, "But, Mavis! Do you know what she wants you to give up?! That's too great of a sacrifice! I can't allow it! It would be the same as killing you!"

Mavis then softly caressed his cheek, taking a tear with her finger on the way, "But without him, I feel like a part of me is dead... I would gladly give up my immortality and live a short life with my zing, than be forever weeping for him... Johnny would sacrifice anything for me, and so will I..."

Dracula slumped, completely defeated... He knew he wouldn't be able to convince his daughter to change her mind, and he doesn't have the heart to do so anymore. He would have done the same for Martha if he could...

Mavis then stood up defiantly in front of the Lamias, showing no fear, "You said you wanted my immortality and my unborn child's in exchange for healing my lover... Could you be clearer?" The creature cleared her throat, still having a sadistic smile, albeit somewhat softer, "In other words, you and your child will no longer be vampires, but humans. You will lose all powers you've had so far, you will age, and one day you will die. Also, you will no longer be able to be turned into a vampire!"

Mavis pondered all of this, taking a few moments to really think about it... She will lose the ability to turn into a bat and fly, the ability to walk on walls and ceilings, the ability to turn into mist. She will lose her speed, her strength... She will no longer be immortal, she will only live a few decades... She thought about it, was Johnny worth that sacrifice?

It wasn't long for her to find the answer in her heart, yes, he was...

The Lamias, growing a bit impatient, added, obviously wanting to seal the deal, "However, I'm not completely heartless, despite what you may have heard about my kind. I won't let your child have immunity to vampirism, so you may decide later to turn him or her, if you wish... Only you, Mavis, will be cursed to be a human, forever...How about it? Does the deal sound fair?" she asked, unable to hide a sardonic smile...

Mavis then replied, trying not to show nervousness in her voice, "Yes! I accept your conditions! Please, bring my zing, my lover, back!" The evil creature grinned, "Very well! The deal is sealed! Your lover will wake up in a few days... Now, hold still!"

The Lamias then uttered a dark incantation that made Mavis' and Dracula's skin crawl... The whole room was engulfed in darkness, as if an empty void was filling it... There was nothing to see, nothing to hear... Well, almost nothing... The only sound in the room was the sound of Mavis emitting an unholy scream, full of pain and suffering.

When the deed was done, the light returned to the room. The serpentine creature was nowhere to be seen... Dracula scanned the room, he saw Johnny, regaining a little of his colors... He then saw Mavis, lying on the floor... He hurried towards her, and asked, "Mavis! Are you alright?" With the help of her dad, she got up and said, "Yes, I believe so...I feel so weird..."

It was then that the changes in his daughter hit Dracula... Her skin was no longer pale, but a healthy-looking pink. He put his hand on her forehead, and noticed the warmth emanating from her. He could also hear her heart now beating, almost sending him into a trance... There was a faint, yet powerful smell now coming from her, making him extremely uneasy...

Before he could inspect her any longer, Mavis moved on her own accord, seeing something that caught her attention. It was the mirror in the room, since she was now a human, she now could see herself for the first time... "Holy rabies!" she said, surprised, "Is that me?" She then looked at herself, mesmerized by her own image, inspecting her own body. The thing she immediately noticed was that her fangs were now gone...

She then remembered why they contacted the Lamias in the first place. She rushed over to Johnny, and looked at him with intensity. Indeed, he was looking to be better, he now needed a few days of sleep. She went to touch his cheek, but immediately withdrew her hand, startled by the coldness of his skin. Then she couldn't help but laugh at the irony that fate played on her, having reversed their positions, with him being the vampire and her the human...

Dracula then composed himself, and said, "Mavis, it's been a long day, perhaps you should go back to your room and rest now..." Mavis complied, and went to her room to continue to examine herself...

Dracula then headed towards his room, relieved for some reason to be far from his daughter. He could almost swear he heard sadistic laughter just now... He walked, cursing, "Damn you...What have you done to my daughter? What have you done to me...?"

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_Author's note: Sorry for the long chapter, I know I usually stay around 1,500 words per chapter usually, but I had a few ideas, and I didn't want to split the chapter in two._


	15. Chapter 14: Human

**I want to thank the following...**

**wallaceb: For brainstorming ideas with me, helping me to refine them, as well as giving me new ideas...**

**hatchlingpendragon: For beta-reading my story and helping with my grammar. I'm definitely improving the quality of the story thanks to that!**

**And, of course, thanks to all the readers!**

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The following day...

Mavis woke up in her bed after a good sleep. It was a little earlier than usual. It was late afternoon, so the sun was still up. As always, very thick curtains were preventing the sun from entering, so Mavis wouldn't burst into flames in her sleep. She got up, rubbing her eyes, feeling more tired than usual, then went to the bathroom.

Still numb from having just woken up, she slowly trailed towards the sink and splashed her face with cold water. She then jerked up and took a step backwards, startled. "Ow! Why is the water so cold?! Do we have problems with the piping today?" she thought to herself. Then, when she laid her eyes on the mirror, realization hit her. Still not used to see her own image, she slowly trailed her finger on the surface of the mirror, as if she were trying to touch herself. She could see every detail on her face, the color of her hair, her slightly puffy cheeks, which were a bit more red than the rest of her skin, which, while still a bit pale, was a lot more colorful than ever before, her eyes, which shone a beautiful blue glow, and, of course, the fact the her fangs were missing.

When she was a vampire, the only way for her to roughly know how she looked was through paintings, which, while the painters did a great job, are never quite as accurate as a real image. She inspected her face and compared it to the picture she had of herself in her head, then sighed, relieved. "At least I believe my physical appearance didn't change much, aside from the color of my skin and the loss of my fangs... I wonder if Johnny will notice right away that I'm "different"..." she thought. Then, it dawned on her, Johnny will wake up soon, how will she announce the fact that she got pregnant with his child when he was "out of commission"...? Nervousness began to overtake her, what if he doesn't take the news well?

She then dismissed those thoughts, believing she would know what to say when the time comes, and, just like Johnny, will find a way to "roll" with it. She quickly brushed her teeth, and applied her usual makeup. After she was done, her belly growled a little. She softly caressed it, then said softly, "You're hungry, aren't you? Don't worry, mommy will eat very soon..." Having said that, she went towards the dining hall, to eat breakfast.

Since late afternoon was very early for monsters to wake up, the dining hall was deserted when Mavis entered. She then saw a window whose curtains were partly open, letting some of the sun enter. Despite being hungry, curiosity got the better of her, and she went towards that light. When she got to the window, she slowly put one of her hands towards that ray of sunlight, still being apprehensive as a reflex. Obviously, since she no longer was a vampire, sunlight wasn't a danger to her anymore. Just like the time Johnny applied sunblock on her hand on that fateful night, she didn't feel any pain, only the delicious warmth of the sunlight. She smirked, then opened the curtains completely, making her whole body bask in the light.

She stood there for several minutes, unaware of the passing time, she just was enjoying the feeling of the sunlight on her skin, which invigorated her. She also took a good look outside, and gasped at the scenery. Being late in the afternoon, the sun was beginning to set, leaving a golden light outside, illuminating the trees, the mountains, the birds, the flowers, the water, everything. Amazed at the scenery, she thought, "It's amazing! I've never seen so much color outside before! I can't wait to take a stroll outside during the day! Being a human isn't so bad after all!"

Then, something abruptly removed her from her thoughts. It was her father, panicked and screaming at her. "Mavis! What are you doing! Get away from the window, it's dangerous!" Dracula still has the image of Mavis nearly dying in the sun burned in his mind, so the trauma made him forget that she's now a human. As he was about to shove her away from the window, Mavis turned to face her dad, obviously annoyed, frowning a little, before exclaiming, "Dad! Can you please calm down!" She then slowly walked to him, before telling him in a softer tone, "See? I'm perfectly fine. I know you were scared, but I'm no longer a vampire, the sun cannot hurt me anymore..."

Dracula at the sight of his daughter being safe and sound, managed to calm himself a little, before saying, "I'm sorry, Mavy-Wavy... This is still new to me, so when I saw you in the sunlight, I feared the worst! What are you doing here so early?" She smiled a little, before answering in a candid voice, "Well, I just couldn't sleep any longer... Perhaps being transformed into a human affected my sleep pattern a little... Plus, we were getting hungry, my baby and I, so..."

At the mention of being hungry, Dracula's eyes flashed red for a very brief moment. That uneasy feeling went back, full-force. All he could hear was the beating heart of his beloved daughter, thumping with a soft and enticing rhythm. All he could smell was her scent, both powerful and intoxicating. Before he could dwell any further in these new sensations, Mavis' voice brought him back on Earth, "Dad? Are you ok? You're kind of spacing out..."

Dracula shook his head, then harbored a weak smile, before blurting, "Sorry... Yes, I'm fine... I'm still a little shaken up because of what happened yesterday, and I didn't eat nor drink anything since then... When you mentioned you were hungry, that made me realize that I was as well... Perhaps we should have breakfast together?" To that, Mavis simply replied, "I would love to, I have so much to tell you, Dad!"

Both father and daughter went towards the center of the dining hall. Then, they both took some distance from each other, about one table length worth, before Dracula spoke in a commanding voice, "Table 56! In front of me! Chairs 32 and 33! Behind me and my daughter!" As soon as the command was issued, one table and two chairs temporarily became alive and floated until they took their places. Then, they turned back into normal furniture, just before they sat down and installed themselves at the table. Then, Dracula shouted, "Waiter!" About one minute later, a gargoyle waiter flew towards them to take their order. Dracula barked, "A breakfast for two! The usual!" The gargoyle nodded with a grunt and went towards the kitchen.

While they waited for breakfast to arrive, they chatted about what happened so far. Dracula started the conversation, "So, you have much to tell me, you said? I assume you want to talk about what happened to you... Well, how does it feel, to be a human?" When she heard that, Mavis couldn't help but to burst with excitement, being highly ecstatic about it, while grinning when she spoke, "This is awesome, Dad! Do you know how useful it is to be able to see your own reflection? I was able to apply my makeup twice as fast as before! Also, you saw that I no longer fear the sun, I can go outside at any moment, seeing things I could only dream of! Being a human is just...amazing!"

Dracula couldn't help to smile, hearing his daughter being so happy. Still, he was worried for her, so he had to ask, "What about your powers? Won't you miss them?" Having heard that, Mavis' excitement died down, letting place to ponder. She went silent for about a minute, before replying on a serious tone, "Well... Sure, I will miss being able to fly, or to walk on walls and ceilings when I'm thinking, but I will be able to go anywhere in the world in exchange... So, I think it was worth it! Oh, and I'll finally able to eat garlic, I always wondered how that would taste..."

At the mention of garlic, Dracula couldn't help but to squirm a little in disgust, remembering that the last time he ate some by mistake, his throat swelled like a balloon. Before he could continue his conversation, the gargoyle finally appeared with a huge tray, containing the usual breakfast he and his daughter preferred. Two cups filled with Blood Beaters, a bowl of live scorpions, a few bagels with scream cheese on it, two plates with a square of mouse-jelly on it, as well as a small bowl containing cockroach paste. Really, the usual...at least until now...

Dracula watched his daughter take a scorpion with her fingers, and suddenly he was filled with dread. He remembered that his daughter is no longer a monster, but a human, which meant...

As she placed the scorpion right above her mouth, which was wide open, preparing to swallow it whole like usual, he screamed at the top of his lungs, terrified, "Mavis! Don't eat that! It's dangerous!" Before she could even react, he slapped the scorpion away from her fingers, which flew away through the window. Mavis, very surprised and a little angry at her dad's reaction, exclaimed, "Ow! What is wrong with you, Dad?! It's just a little scorpion, it's nothing harmful..."

Dracula then took the hand of his daughter, which was red because of the slap, looked straight into her eyes, before slowly saying, "Mavis... Honey-bat... Perhaps it was okay for you to eat them before, but now, since you're a human, you can't anymore..." Mavis, incredulous, replied, "What?! Why?" To that, he simply replied, "Because scorpions have venom in their bodies... Sure, it's not harmful for a monster, but for a human that venom is deadly!"

Mavis, having finally understood why her dad freaked out, pouted and said with a sad tone, "So... I can't eat scorpions anymore?" Her dad, sad as well, said, "I'm afraid so... Also, I'm not so sure you can even eat any food from that tray anymore..." His daughter then exploded, being visibly angry, "Why? Are you telling me that everything in front of me is poisonous?" Dracula answered, apparently sorrowful, "Well...no, not really...just try to have a sip from your cup, and we'll see if I'm right or not..."

Mavis began to be very worried and did just like her father told her. She took her cup of blood substitute, took a sip, but instead of swallowing, she spat the red liquid, disgusted. She exclaimed, dumbfounded, "What the...? This Blood Beater tastes awful! Instead of being sweet, it's very salty, and I feel like I licked an iron pole! Quasimodo must have done something to my food..."

Dracula stayed silent, watching with sorrow his daughter trying every food on the plate. After she ate some mouse-jelly, her face went green with disgust, and after she tried some cockroach paste, she threw up on the ground. After a few minutes of deep-breathing to get better and a few glasses of water, she sulked on the table, "Why? What is wrong with me? Why do I find the food I used to love disgusting?!"

Dracula then explained to his daughter that, well, since she became a human, her tongue is not registering the same tastes as before, and that most of the food in the hotel will be inedible to her now. Mavis tried some more food, refusing to give up, and found that she still liked bagels with scream cheese on it, even though it was clearly not the same taste as before.

The rest of the evening was pretty much uneventful... Well, until Mavis decided she wanted to stretch her wings and fly a little. Wings that she no longer has... Thankfully, when she threw herself out of the window of her room, before she could crash on the ground, Dracula was able to catch her in his bat form. He flew until they were inside her room, before chastising her, "Mavis, have you forgotten you can no longer fly? If I wasn't watching you, you would...you would have..."

Mavis, knowing she is getting scolded, could only smile, like a child caught red-handed doing something bad, "Sorry, Dad...I know... I'm just not used to no longer being a vampire, so I kind of forgot..." Dracula, unable to stay mad at his daughter, could only say while hugging her, "It's all right, my sweet blood-orange... It's all right, just be careful in the future, okay?" He could feel Mavis nodding while they were still hugging...

Then, another pang of hunger hit him, worse than ever. His throat suddenly ached for blood, as he caught himself smelling her neck like a wine connoisseur would before he could get a sip. Horrified, he suddenly broke the hug, his whole body shaking violently. Mavis, aware that something was wrong with her dad, asked with a worried voice, "Dad? Are you ok? You're acting weird again..."

Dracula tried to put on a strong face, trying to cover his fear, "Yes, my lovely bone, I'm fine... I guess I'm just a little tired and that I need to drink a Blood Beater... You need to rest for now... Have a good night, honey!" After having said that, he flew at full speed towards the kitchen. Mavis said, with a perplexed look on her face, "Good night to you too, Dad..."

After having entered the kitchen, Dracula went straight into the fridge, and took four Blood Beaters, which he all drank within a minute. His thirst was now sated, and he was able to think clearly. What he had felt didn't reassure him at all, though... "No, no, no, no, NO! This can't be happening! Johnny will wake up in a few days, and Mavis will finally be able to resume a happy life! I can't ruin that!" he thought to himself.

After having beaten himself mentally for a few minutes, he calmed down, then thought, "It's ok! I only have some old urges resurfacing, that's all! I just need to take more Blood Beaters than usual, and that episode will pass... I mean, Mavis is my daughter, whom I love more than anyone, surely I wouldn't dare..."

He then took a whole crate of Blood Beaters with him and went towards his room... A familiar and sinister figure was outside of the hotel, having watched all of what happened so far, before letting a sadistic laugh escape her mouth. "Ohh, the suffering that will surely come will be great to watch, hehe!" she said, in a raspy voice...

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___Author's note: Ok, I'm sorry if this chapter was a little lacking in action, but I always wanted to write about what would happen in Mavis' everyday life if she became human. I also felt a more relaxing chapter would be fitting before the next ones..._

___I promise the next chapters will be rich in emotions though..._

___As always, I'm happy to receive reviews, positive or negative..._


	16. Chapter 15: Relapse

**I want to thank the following...**

**wallaceb: For brainstorming ideas with me, helping me to refine them, as well as giving me new ideas... In fact, one of his ideas is in this chapter!**

**hatchlingpendragon: For beta-reading my story and helping with my grammar. I'm definitely becoming better and better, thanks!**

**And, of course, thanks to all the readers!**

**I want to point out that wallaceb posted his third story, "_Monstrous Wedding_", which is a take on Mavis' and Johnny' wedding, with a unique twist!**

**Also, hatchlingpendragon posted a new story as well, "_What Defines A Monster_". If you thought MY story was dark, then you gotta read his. Although, it's also beautifully written as well, so I believe it's well worth a try!**

**Sorry if it sounded like a shameless plug, but those two helped me so much, I wanted to return the favor in any way possible. If I can get them even one more reader, then it was worth it!**

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Dracula didn't sleep a wink, he went through his whole crate of Blood Beaters during the day, instead of sleeping. His throat was always burning, always dry, always aching for a taste... His daughter's taste...

He desperately tried to keep his inner demons at bay, but it felt like a losing battle. This wasn't the first time since he'd sworn off human blood that he felt the urge to drink it , usually he was able to fight it off with a heavier dose of blood substitutes and a little of his willpower. Unfortunately, this urge, this relapse of his old ways was much stronger than normal, his usual means of fighting back against his cravings were useless this time...

"This can't be!" he thought to himself, panicked. "Why do I...crave so much for blood?! Why do I want to... Aaarrggh!" As he started to lose himself, he banged his head several times at a wall in his room, so strongly that he made the hotel shake a little... His head was in agonizing pain, blood gushing from the wound created by the force of the impacts... Thankfully, because of this pain, he was able to get a hold of himself, and calmed down...

He took several deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling repeatedly, but slowly, concentrating his thoughts on his breathing, before thinking, "Okay... Good, I'm myself again! Damn that Lamias! I wouldn't be surprised if she did something to me when she transformed Mavis back then!" More determined than ever, he shook his head and his fist, "After all, they do live off the suffering of others... Well, too bad! I won't play her game! I'll never harm Mavis! I care for her more than anyone in this world, I've seen her grow up, fall in love, and now harbor life within her! I can't fail her as a father! I just need to avoid seeing her for the time being, that's all..."

Dracula, deep in his thoughts, failed to notice a familiar figure entering his room in a sneaky manner. Only the sound of a familiar voice made him snap out of them, "Dad? Are you okay? It's been several hours since the sun has set, and you still haven't come to eat breakfast..." Dumbfounded, Dracula's face fell, despair starting to creep in his mind, at the same time as his thirst was creeping once again in his body. He said, with a broken voice, "Ma...Mavis?!... What...are you...doing here?! Why did you enter?!"

Mavis frowned, clearly worried about her dad, "I knocked on the door several times and didn't get an answer, so I decided to sneak into your room... Dad, what's wrong? You're not looking too good tonight..." Desperate, he replied, with a high-pitched voice, "Wrong? There's nothing wrong, my little mouse. I'm just a little more tired than usual, I simply overslept."

Dracula was lying through his teeth, and he knew it... He might have been able to convince Mavis if she were as she was before her 118th birthday, but now, she can detect a lie from him from a mile away... Oh, and the fact that he was sweating bullets and shaking didn't help his case either... Not in the mood to play games, she stated with a snappy tone, clearly irritated, "You're lying, Dad! I don't know what you're hiding, but I don't have time for this! The nurse told me that she scanned Johnny's body with her magic, he should wake up in a few hours..." At her own mention of Johnny's name, she softened her tone a little, "I want to be by his side when he finally awakes, and I want you to be there as well..."

Dracula, try as he might, was unable to stop his body from shaking. All he could notice now was the powerful and enticing smell of Mavis' body and the thumping of her beating heart... He was thirsty, very thirsty... Getting more desperate by the minute, he told her pleadingly, "I can't go with you! I'm...sick... Yes! I'm very sick, and I don't want you to catch anything!" Mavis, not yet figuring what was happening to her dad, replied in a harsh tone, visibly angry, "I don't believe it! Johnny is finally going to wake up, and you don't want to be there for that moment?! Don't you know how important this moment will be for me?!" She was so angry now that tears were now beginning to form, not tears of sadness, but of rage, "I don't care what you say! You will come with me, even if I have to drag you all the way to his room!"

Having said that, she started to move towards her dad. Now hysteric, Dracula shouted out of his lungs, being more afraid than he ever was in his whole life, "NOOO! Don't come any closer! Stay back! STAY BACK!" He then fell to his knees, looking pitiful and completely defeated, sobbing like a child would when in great sorrow, "Stay...back... Ple...Please! I'm...losing it! I... don't...want...to hurt you! I love you...more than anyone in this world, I would never be able to bear it if I lost it...and...and..."

Mavis stopped in her track, seeing her dad like this, so afraid, so much in pain, her anger completely vanished now... She was now very worried, seeing her father panicked like this, and said, trying as best as she could to use a sweet and reassuring tone, "Dad...This is so unlike you...Something is wrong, very wrong, I can tell just by looking at you... Look, don't you trust me? I'm not 83 anymore, you can tell me what's eating you..."

"The same thing that's going to eat you if I don't get a hold of myself..." he replied, in a hollow voice. Mavis, not wanting to believe what she just heard, replied, shocked, "Dad? What do you mean by that?" He then decided it was no use to hide it anymore, he was now sure she would hate him or fear him, but he decided that might be for the best, it would be easier for her to stay away if she feared him...

He stood up, then composed himself as best as he could. He took several deep breaths, allowing his shaking to finally stop. After a long and awkward silence, he finally spoke, with a gentle voice, "Do you remember how you felt after Johnny offered his blood to you, after he saved your life? Do you remember how much you wanted to suck him dry, how scared of yourself you were that you would maybe hurt or kill him, should you have lost your control?"

She winced, as he reopened painful memories that she wanted to forget. Of course she remembers, she wasn't proud of that part of her at the time, but she never forgot. Hesitantly, she spoke, uncertain of where her father was getting at, "Of course I do... It was horrible! I felt like I was becoming a monster! I was so afraid and ashamed of myself, I couldn't forget, no matter how much I want to! Why are you asking me this Dad? I'm no longer a vampire, so I don't need blood anymore..."

Dracula, now harboring a sad frown, replied, closing his eyes in shame, "Well, the same thing is happening to me! I'm very afraid of myself, that's why I can't be close to you..." Mavis, being more and more incredulous, was only able to reply, "What?! What do you mean by that, Dad?!" Then, it finally clicked in her brain. Why her dad was so weird since she became human, why he's looking so shattered and frail now, it all dawned on her. She covered her mouth with her hand, trying to prevent a gasp of shock from coming out... 'You can't mean...Dad?! ... You want to drink...me?!"

Dracula felt what little strength he had wane, but he knew it was too late to turn back. "Yes, Mavis...I do... Now, do you understand why I don't want to be near you?" Mavis then quickly shook her head, trying to force a weak smile, and replied, not completely unable to mask her unease, "Yes, I do... I felt horrible at the thought of attacking Johnny... I can't begin to imagine how you must feel, Dad... Is there anything I can do to help?"

He wasn't sure how he felt. On one hand, he was scared that his daughter took the news well and didn't run away. On the other, he was glad that she was so understanding... He couldn't help but to smile with serenity now, as if a heavy burden was lifted from his shoulders, "Yes, you can, Mavy-Wavy! I can beat my urges, I just need to stay far from you for a little while... Why don't you go to Johnny's side? While I know my absence will sadden you a little, I'm sure at the same time that you don't completely dislike the idea of being alone with him when he wakes up...with you being the first person he sees, like an angel..."

Mavis giggled at the compliment, then softly replied, "Alright, Dad! I will! Just, please take care of yourself, and if you feel better, come see me anytime, okay?" "I will, my little ghoul, I will..." he replied with serenity... Having said that, she went to see Johnny, while her dad watched her leave. He wasn't aware of it himself, but his face harbored a sadistic scowl now, and his eyes started to change color...

* * *

Mavis was by Johnny's side, ecstatic at the idea of finally being with him. Yet, she still didn't know how he would react at the fact that she's now a human, and pregnant with his child to boot! She had so much time to prepare herself, yet could never imagine how her conversation with him will go.

She was waiting by his side for three hours straight now, not taking her gaze from him. She wanted to see the very moment he would wake up, and treasure that memory in her heart. She still found him as gorgeous as ever, with his red and messy hair, his freckles on his cheeks, the way he breathed, the way he snored, she found him so...adorable...

To pass the time, she thought about how Johnny would react to his new powers, she softly grinned, containing a little laugh, imagining her boyfriend's face after he developed the power to walk on walls and ceilings, or the power to morph into a bat... She was also very excited at the idea of coaching him, of helping him hone his powers, it could be a very nice...activity to do...She remembered how much fun her dad had to teach her to fly... Soon, it would be her turn to feel that, both with Johnny, and her unborn child...

Something odd removed Mavis from her reverie. It was the sound of her dad, who had passed under the door as smoke. He then regained his form, watching the wall, facing away from Mavis. She was surprised by her dad's sudden appearance, but she was also happy, because she thought he was able to beat his thirst and now felt better...

She cleared her throat a little, before speaking in a surprised tone, "Dad! You're back! Are you okay now?" Mavis still couldn't see her dad's face, as he was looking away from her. She suddenly felt a cold chill running up her spine, though she didn't know why. She was greeted by her dad with a heavy silence, him not having budged yet. Worried, she inquired further, "Dad? Are you okay? Are you feeling better now?"

What she heard afterwards froze her blood. Dracula responded in a very slow, glacial and threatening tone, "I am okay, my daughter... As for me feeling better, I soon will..." He then turned to face her, and she took a few steps backwards at the sight of his face, terrified. His irises were now completely red, burning with hunger, his fangs were greatly elongated and oozing with saliva, blue veins were visible all across his face. He addressed Mavis, in a cold and raspy voice, "I will soon feel better... Daddy just needs to feed a little, then everything will be okay..."

Mavis has seen her father wear a "scary" look in his face before, mostly when he was angered or irritated. She never thought he was all that scary, and was convinced he could never manage to scare her. She now realized how wrong she was. Never was she this scared, until now. Trying to reason with him, she tried to speak as best as she could, "Dad? What are y..._grgll_..."

Before she could even utter one more word, her dad sunk his fangs at her throat. A vampire bite can be a very painful or a very pleasant experience, depending on how the biting is done. In her case, it was the former, as her dad was so lost in his bloodlust that he was unable to restrain his savagery. He was so sloppy in his bite that blood was spurting everywhere, on her clothes, on her dad, on Johnny's face.

All that was registering in Mavis' head was the pain coursing through her body. She almost lost consciousness, due to her blood loss, when even more pain brought her back. Dracula's fangs were now scraping against the nerves at the back of her head, making her feel more pain than she ever felt in her entire life. She screamed loudly, both because of her excruciating pain, and because she was so scared...

Her eyes were starting to get bloodshot, her skin got very pale and sunken, she started to look a little like a carton of juice in the process of being drunk... Just before Dracula could kill her, somebody punched him violently in the face, making a loud "THUD" against the opposite wall... Gasping for air and putting a hand to cover her wound, she forced herself to look who saved her...She could only moan feebly, "Jo...hn...ny?"

Johnny, perhaps having sensed Mavis in danger, or perhaps having heard her scream of pain and fear, woke up. He wasn't fully conscious yet. Obviously disoriented from just having woken up from a months-old coma, and oblivious to the fact that he became a vampire, he didn't know what was going on. He saw Dracula, whom he viewed as a friend, as a father figure, attacking his beloved. Confusion ran wild in his mind... "What... is Drac doing?!... He's... killing Mavis?!... Why? She's his daughter! He loves her more than anyone!... Why?... Why?... WHY?!..."

Then, rage filled every core of his being... His eyes grew bright red, not from hunger, but from anger. He only knew Mavis' life was in jeopardy, and it was enough for him to take action. He lunged at Dracula, threw the punch that had sent him reeling in the wall, the let loose a mighty roar at him, deafening.

He then furiously shouted at Dracula, who was still reeling from his punch, "Dracula! What the FUCK did you do to Mavis?! To your own daughter?!" Dracula, still tasting Mavis' blood in his mouth, regained some of his senses, partly because of Johnny's punch, his anger and the mention of Mavis' name... Dumbfounded, he exclaimed, not having a clue about what he did, "Johnny? You're awake?" Then, he noticed how furious he seemed, so he continued, "Johnny? Why are you looking so angry right now?"

Johnny, not in the mood to play mind games, dryly replied, "Why do you think?! You almost KILLED your own daughter!" Then, he saw Mavis, lying on the floor in a pool of her own blood, trying to use her hand to slow down the blood loss from her neck. He then realized what he had done... In the end, he wasn't able to fight down his urges... In the end, he truly was a monster...

Mavis, having seen her father regain his senses, and having seen her lover valiantly defend her, was smiling, before she finally fainted. Dracula suffered a break down, making him hysteric beyond belief, "MAVIS! NO! Please! Don't go! I'm so sorry! This is all my fault! I couldn't even control myself!" Johnny then slapped Dracula so hard that he got thrown into the wall...again... "Now's not the time to feel sorry! Mavis is in danger! We have to get her treated, and quick!"

Dracula, still feeling guilty as hell, agrees with Johnny, and helped him get Mavis to the infirmary. Thankfully, since they were in Johnny's room, they were near there.

* * *

A few hours had passed since then... Dracula and Johnny were waiting anxiously outside the infirmary where Mavis was getting treated. Since then, he had the time to fill Johnny in on what had happened...He told him of his accident, of Mavis' attempt to save him by turning him into a vampire, of his coma which lasted a few months, of Mavis' depression and near-suicide, of her having sacrificed her immortality in a demonic pact with a Lamias to bring him back. He left out the part where Mavis made love to him while he was unconscious, judging it would be too much of a shock, on top of all he just learned...

Johnny, obviously reeling from having his brain overloaded with information like that, closed his eyes and took deep breaths, relaxing his body to assimilate all that knowledge. He then retorted to Dracula, still obviously angry against him, "Okay, so now I'm a vampire, because Mavis turned me to save my life, and Mavis is a human, because she gave up her vampire traits in a pact to bring me back. So far, I get it... What I don't get is, why the HELL did you attack your own daughter? I thought you loved her?!"

Dracula, obviously hurt by that remark, and still feeling dead inside for the sin he dared commit, replied, in a voice barely audible, "I do love her, Johnny! More than anything in the world! If I succumbed to my thirst and attacked Mavis, it's because of two reasons... First, I suspect the Lamias, which are feeding through the suffering they cause, did something to either me or Mavis, making her irresistible to me, so I would eventually try to feed on her..."

Dracula, trying to control what was left of his sanity, took a slight pause. Johnny, seeing that, retorted with a tone full of reproach, "So, you're going to use that as an excuse? Man, that's very lame..." Dracula then continued, "That's not all, Johnny! You obviously don't know what it's like to be addicted to blood! It's a real curse! And here comes the second reason why I was unable to stop myself... The more an addicted vampire has feelings towards a human, the harder it is to control its thirst! So, the more a vampire loves a human in this case, the more likely it is for that vampire to drink from said human!"

Johnny then slumped back a bit, still angry at Dracula, but starting to understand why he did that and how he must feel... "Okay, I get that, your love towards Mavis was your downfall... However, when she was a little addicted towards my blood, she didn't seem to struggle too much to beat her addiction...So, does this mean she didn't love me?!"

Dracula then roared at Johnny, angry, "NO!" They glared at each other, while Dracula struggled to find the right words, "Don't...don't you dare say that! If Mavis got over her addiction so 'easily', as you pretend it was, it is because...it is because she didn't get the chance to drink human blood in her lifetime. And so, her addiction wasn't able to become so strong, as mine had... In that, her love for you was not the ultimate factor, Johnny, in that you need not fret..." he snarled.

Before they could argue further, the nurse got out of Mavis' treatment room. They both immediately turned their attention towards her. "Nurse!" both exclaimed Dracula and Johnny in unison, "How is she?!"

The nurse fidgeted around, deciding how to handle giving the news to them, "Well, I have some good news, and some bad news..." Both of them gulped at the mention of "bad news"... "She will survive, and she should recover in a week or so, but she needs plenty of rest..."

Dracula and Johnny both sighed in relief when they heard that... "Phew! I'm glad to hear that!" Johnny said with enthusiasm, "But then, what is that bad news exactly?" The nurse retorted, "Well, it's about her child..." Johnny's face fell, clearly in a state of shock, before screaming "CHILD?!" Dracula glared at her, making her realize he didn't know yet. "Nah, I'm just joking! Got you!" Johnny was still a bit in shock, but was relaxing a little at least, obviously annoyed at the nurse to crack such a tasteless joke...

Dracula then took her by her arm, and asked her, out of Johnny's reach, "What about her child? What happened...?" She then whispered in his ear the exact details...

Dracula then leaned on the wall, bowing his head, full of thoughts and regrets...

* * *

___Author's note: Phew! This was a long chapter! And I know full well I'm going to catch hell from some of you for daring using such a twist... Still, I don't really mind, so long as I stir emotions within my readers, I feel fulfilled... ____Not to mention that this kind of topic, like Mavis becoming a human, was rarely used, so..._

_Don't worry though, my story is not over, I still have several chapters left, so I still have some room for even more surprises..._

___Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter, although I suspect some to have winced a little... I welcome all reviews, positive or negative!_


	17. Chapter 16: Recovering

**I dedicate this fanfiction to callmemavy, which was the author who inspired me the most to write this story. I see you as a model, a mentor, and I would like to thank you for writing your story, "Demon's Heart". That story is dark, sad, tragic, yet beautiful, which influenced my writing style greatly.**

**I also want to thank the following...**

**wallaceb: For brainstorming ideas with me, helping me to refine them, as well as giving me new ideas...**

**hatchlingpendragon: For beta-reading my story and helping with my grammar. I cannot thank you enough for all your help!**

**And, of course, thanks to all the readers!**

* * *

It's been a week now since Dracula's attack on Mavis. She lay on her bed ever since, getting some much needed rest to rejuvenate her body. She had received several blood transfusions to make up for all the blood she had lost. Thankfully, she didn't suffer any permanent damage, although the spot where she was bitten would scar badly.

Johnny was by her side every day, watching her quietly, yet sadly. He mused about all that had taken place thus far... The last thing he remembered before waking up was him sharing a tender moment with Mavis on the roof of the hotel, having watched the sunrise together. Then, nothing...

He was still processing all the information that Dracula had told him. It was so much that it made his head spin. He knew already that Mavis had transformed into a human, for him. However, it didn't really hit him until he got the chance to get a good look at her. Her skin was a little pale, partly due to her blood loss, but he still noticed that it was much more colorful than before. He also noticed that her fangs were now gone... Aside from that, there were no drastic changes he could detect, and he still found her as beautiful as ever.

He caressed one of her cheeks softly, allowing his hand to indulge in the warmth her body was now emanating. While his hand was there, he also took one of her bangs and tucked it behind her ear. He caressed her body, hoping it would make her better. He had no ill intentions, he merely wanted to massage her, to accelerate her blood flow and, consequently, her metabolism a little. He gently strokes her shoulders, her arms, her hands, her legs, her feet, with enough force to get the blood flowing, but with enough gentleness to not disturb her slumber.

He did this during the whole week, almost like a ritual. However, after the first day, his watching gaze grew a little colder, a little more melancholic... Johnny wasn't the sharpest human around, he knew that well. He always preferred to be out in the outdoors than having his nose stuck in a book. Still, while he was a little too naïve, too cheerful, too happy-go-lucky, he wasn't stupid either. He knew a baby bump when he saw one, as he had the opportunity to watch his mother during the pregnancies of his little brothers...

After the week was over, Mavis finally opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Johnny, sitting on a chair next to her bed, looking worried. She smiled weakly at him, before speaking, her words barely audible, "You?" Johnny grinned, recalling when they did that when they reunited after Dracula chased him on his plane. Letting out a chuckle, he replied, "You." They simply stared at each other, without uttering a word. It was only for a short moment, but to them, it seemed like time itself had stopped, like they were finally reunited after a very long absence.

Johnny finally broke the silence, gently petting her hair, "So? How do you feel?" Mavis, wanting to answer, tried to sit up on her bed, but Johnny stopped her, "Whoa, hold on Mavis... You're still a little weak, take it easy..." She chuckled softly, "I will, thank you Johnny... I just want to sit and stretch a little..." Taking her sweet time, she slowly and carefully moved. She did notice that she didn't have a lot of energy, but she wanted to move a little, regardless. She then realized that she was in a bed, in the infirmary, and then she asked Johnny, still a little dazed and confused, "Huh? Johnny, why am I here?"

Johnny froze, not too sure how to explain what happened to her. Should he sugarcoat it, or should he tell her the truth? After pondering a little, he chose the latter, as sugarcoating it would only delay the inevitable. He took a deep breath, then said, with a tone as reassuring as he could muster, "You don't remember what happened? Your dad kind of...lost control, and..."

Before he could proceed any further, Mavis choked, looking panicked, her forehead covered in sweat. Johnny, alarmed, looked around to see what scared her so much. It was Dracula, standing outside of the room, hesitating, not sure if he should enter or not. He was looking really glum, his facial features ravaged by guilt... Johnny glanced back and forth, between Mavis and Dracula, of course he understood why she was so panicked...

Johnny nervously glanced at Dracula, "Um, Drac? I don't think that's a good idea... Maybe you should leave us alone..." Dracula winced a little, looking partly defeated, yet somehow relieved, "Um... Right... Of course, Johnny..." As he turned around to leave, one word stopped him dead in his tracks... His whole body froze, he genuinely wanted to turn around, but he couldn't... He immediately realized he couldn't face his daughter, not after what he's done...

"Why...?" was the only word Mavis could utter towards her dad. Johnny looked at her, and it pained him. Her face was flushed, the colors completely uneven, her lower lip was quivering, tears were openly flowing from her eyes. However, what struck him was her eyes. They were gazing at her dad, but they held no anger...no emotions...nothing whatsoever, as if they were the eyes of a corpse.

Dracula, even though he didn't turn, could feel the gaze of her daughter on his back. It pained him more than if a wooden stake had struck him through. He knew that if he stood there, he would completely break down... He simply shouted, "Mavis, please forgive me!" before turning into a bat and flying as fast as he could, crashing into walls left and right, since his vision was clouded by his tears...

Johnny was heartbroken, having witnessed such a scene. He sighed, then closed the door of the room. He went back to Mavis, who was curling, bowing her head between her knees, shaking and sobbing... He tried to reassure her, "Hey... It's okay, now, it's okay... Do you want to talk or something...?" Mavis didn't respond outright, she just shook her head. Johnny stood up, wanting desperately to do something for her, "Are you hungry, Mavis? I can always get you something to eat..."

Mavis then shouted at him, sounding desperate, "No! Pl-please, don't go... I want you near me..." Johnny, having heard that, sat back in the chair next to her bed. After he did, Mavis lunged at him, nearly tackling him out of his chair. Her arms firmly around his neck, she only could cry on his shoulder, unable to say anything. Johnny said softly in an attempt to comfort her, "Yes... Cry... Let it all out..." And she did, she cried herself to sleep on Johnny's shoulder, while he was softly caressing her head...

* * *

Another week passed. Johnny was getting used to becoming a vampire, surprised that monster food tasted so good, as well as getting used to drinking Blood Beaters. Out of curiosity, he tried to stick his hand out in the sun, and he pulled it back immediately, wincing in pain. He immediately knew that Mavis wasn't kidding when she said that the sun was painful! He felt like he dipped his hand into a vat of acid.

Dracula fell into a brooding depression, secluding himself in his room, his guilt gnawing at him. He hadn't left his room, not even for eating or drinking. As a matter of fact, he didn't drink his Blood Beaters, either. He didn't care... He wasn't hungry... He wasn't thirsty... He didn't want anything... He really looked worse for wear, almost as bad as Mavis did after two months of depression...

Mavis was starting to feel much better, at least physically. She still had nightmares of her dad, when he attacked her, seeming more like a monster than the caring and loving dad she knew... The nurse also came to her with "bad news" about her child. Panicked, she inquired, "Bad news?! What happened?! What happened to my baby?!" As she was about to enter in a fit of panic, the nurse calmed her down, "Hold on! Calm down, dear. Your baby is still alive, and is still healthy, so don't get that kind of idea..." Mavis, panting a little at the possibility of having lost her child, took a few moments to catch her breath. Still, she inquired of her, unable to hide the worryness in her face, "Then, what's wrong with my baby?"

The nurse fidgeted around, trying to choose the right words, "Well, you see, I'm not even sure if it's "wrong" or not..." Mavis raised an eyebrow and stared at the nurse, listening. "I'm not going to beat around the bush any longer... The child you bear in your womb...due to your dad's attack, became a vampire..."

Mavis blinked at her a few times, in a state of shock. Then, after an awkward period of silence, she broke into a fit of laughter, which lasted a minute or two. The nurse looked at her, not sure if she should give her a sedative or not... Then, Mavis replied, after having caught her breath, her face completely red, "Oh, thank goodness! You really scared me there! This is not bad news, this is good news!"

The nurse replied, trying to look serious, "Perhaps for the child, but this is bad news for you!" Mavis froze, getting worried, then replied, "Bad for me? Why?" The nurse sighed, obviously tired, "Well, just think for a moment... What does a vampire need more than anything to live?" Mavis responded immediately, almost on reflex, "Hah! That's easy, blood!" The nurse looked intently at Mavis, before snapping back, "Exactly. And, now that you're a human, you're full of blood! Do you see now why I told you it's bad news for you? Because your child will slowly absorb your blood through its umbilical cord, weakening you!"

Mavis' face fell when she heard that. Trying to contain her fear, she asked, "Am I in danger? Is my child in danger because I'm a human? Will I be strong enough to give birth to my baby?" Mavis was trying to remain calm, but a sense of panic started to invade her. The nurse sighed, "If you follow my instructions, you'll be fine... You just need to be very careful not to overexert yourself, as you will have less energy than before... You will also need to change your diet a little, you need to make sure you have plenty of iron. I'm going to write down for you what kind of foods you should eat, prioritizing mainly on green vegetables..."

Mavis sighed in relief. She'd thought she would die, she couldn't fathom how Johnny would feel if she really did... No, she could, she felt horrible when Johnny almost died and, afterwards, fell into a coma. She didn't want him to go through what she went through as well. The nurse said something else, which removed Mavis from her thoughts, "However, to compensate for the blood your baby will absorb from you, you will need a blood transfusion once a week. Don't worry though, Mavis, you'll be able to give birth to her, so long as you do what I say."

Mavis breathed deeply, trying to assimilate that knowledge from the nurse. She was calmer now, almost serene, "Okay, I will... I'll do anything if it will help her health and birth..." Then, Mavis face jerked up, obviously shocked. She turned her gaze towards the nurse, then asked, her voice trembling, "Wait a minute... Her?! Did you say "her"?! At the mention of those words, the nurse couldn't help but to smile, "Yes, I did! Congratulations, Mavis! It's a girl!"

Mavis' whole body was frozen for what seemed like an eternity. Then, she let a squeal of delight, hugging the nurse, almost squishing her, "It's a girl?! IT'S A GIRL! I'm going to have a daughter! I can't wait to tell Johnny!" Her happiness was short-lived, because as soon as she uttered that name, she started to panic, "Holy rabies! I still haven't told him that I'm pregnant yet! How will he react?!" She then looked at the nurse, asking pleadingly, "What should I do?!" The nursed sighed, taking a solemn look, "You should tell him the truth... The more you wait, the worse it will be... He doesn't seem to be stupid, he may have realized that you're bearing a child... However, it is better that he hears the news from your own mouth, even if he guessed already... Have a good, long talk with your zing, Mavis..." Having said that, the nurse gave her her leave, leaving Mavis to ponder about what she should do... She thought about it long and hard, gritted her teeth, and decided to tell him the truth...

* * *

She went to Johnny's room, and knocked... After waiting awhile, hearing no answers, she was about to knock again, when suddenly the door opened... What she saw then took her totally off guard, and she nearly rolled on the floor, laughing...

It was Johnny, who was in the process of shaving, his face full of shaving cream, and also full of bleeding cuts... He replied to her, a little annoyed and insulted, "What's so funny? Try shaving yourself without a reflection when you were used to having one all your life... I'm clumsy enough as it is, so that's not helping me any..." Having heard that, Mavis laughed even more, making Johnny fuming a little. Still, his annoyance went way down, when he realized how cute she was when laughing like that, replaced by a soft caring gaze...

Waiting for Mavis to compose herself and catch her breath, Johnny asked, slightly curious, "So, Mavy, are you feeling better now? Can I do something for you?" Mavis finally calmed down, and harbored a serious face now, clashing with the face she had less than a minute ago, "Yes, I feel better now, thank you, Johnny. And, yes, you can do something for me... Can you meet me in my room, in one hour? I want to talk to you about something important..."

Johnny face flared up, he kinda knew what the subject would be, he gritted his teeth, trying to hide some pent up anger, uncertainty and doubt he had accumulated the whole week. His stare grew a little colder, which gave Mavis the chills, "Johnny, are you all right? You look kind of... funny..." Johnny, realizing his negative emotions were starting to show, shook his head vividly, before saying, "Sorry... I spaced out, thinking about something... You want to talk? Why not right here, right now?"

She bit her lip, then continued, "I can't... I'm not ready yet... This is about a very important matter, and I really need to collect my thoughts about this... Please, Johnny, this is very important for me, for you, for us... Can you come visit me in my room in one hour?" As she was saying that, Mavis' face was pouting. It wasn't as cute as her pouty bat face, but it worked nonetheless, making Johnny's heart melt. "Of course, Mavis... Anything for you..."

* * *

One hour later...

Johnny went to Mavis' room. He groomed himself as much as he could, and even wore more elegant clothes than usual. Still, his hair was still a mess. One would think being transformed into a vampire would have affected his hair, but, no...it was still as stubborn as ever...

He knocked softly, hearing immediately afterwards, "Come in, Johnny!" He entered the room, told the shrunken head to make sure they're not disturbed, then closed the door. He saw Mavis, sitting on her bed, fidgeting with her hands, obviously very nervous... He slowly approached her, then sat on the opposing end of the bed...

Neither said anything for several minutes, the silence seemed to weigh heavily on Mavis' shoulders... She then sighed loudly, her face unable to hide some fear, then said in a shaky but determined voice, "Johnny?" To which he replied, also being nervous, "Yes, Mavis?"

"We need to talk..."

* * *

_Author's note: Hehe, you didn't really think I would actually kill Mavis' child now, did you? Then again, I did dare making Dracula attacking his beloved daughter, and I made the ending of my previous chapter ambiguous on purpose, to garner reactions... I was not disappointed!_

_Anyway, sorry if this chapter was slower and softer, I figured both the readers and I would enjoy a quieter chapter after the last one I wrote... That, and I really needed to do some exposition as well..._

_Like always, thanks for reading, and please review!_


	18. Chapter 17: Fight

**I want to thank the following...**

**wallaceb: For brainstorming ideas with me, helping me to refine them, as well as giving me new ideas...**

**hatchlingpendragon: For beta-reading my story and helping with my grammar. And, well, a big thank you for helping me with this chapter, I've had a lot of troubles writing it, so, thanks!**

**Also, I want to refer to a story from a friend of mine, clemce666, called "Dracula and Martha forever". Yes, I know, the story is in French, but the story, even through Google Translate, is pretty amazing, talking about Mavis discovering the dark past of her dad. For some that are curious, check it out!**

**And, of course, thanks to all the readers! I just got over 10,000 views! Okay, not sure if it's a lot or not, but, regardless, thanks to you all!**

* * *

Johnny swallowed, quietly clenching his teeth. He had a good idea of what she wanted to talk about, "Okay. What is it?"

Mavis knew that she needed to tell Johnny about the fact that she's pregnant, but seeing him now made her lose some of her resolve. She stayed silent, fidgeting and playing with her fingers, trying to pick the right words. After what seemed like an eternity, she began to speak, fear clearly present in her voice, making her stutter a little, "W-well, I have something to tell you... I re...I really don't know how you're going to-to react, but I have to tell you..." She began to panic even more, overwhelmed by many emotions, her whole body was shaking with fear and guilt, her throat choking on her emotions, "Johnny... I'm... I-I'm..."

Mavis couldn't say it... She covered her face with her hands, hid her head between her knees, tears slowly escaping her eyes and rolling down her cheeks, now sitting nearly on her pillow. Johnny, seeing this, didn't know what to feel... On one hand, he wanted to comfort her, whisper reassuring words... On the other, he felt doubt, anger, uncertainty rising within him... He glared at Mavis, but she was looking so vulnerable, that his heart almost melted at that sight... Almost... He gazed upon her belly, which made the darker part of him take over a little...

Johnny's face grew harsher, his expression more nonchalant, more indifferent, "You're what, Mavis?" he asked dryly.

When she only shivered in her seat, he nodded to himself, "Pregnant, right?" he continued, cold and blunt.

Mavis' face jerked up in shock, her blue eyes were open wide, she couldn't hide her panic from Johnny... She tried to speak, she really did, but the words seemed to choke her throat, she was unable to get them out of her mouth... Seeing her staying silent, Johnny continued, in a sarcastic and accusing tone, slightly raising his volume, at the same time as his anger was, "Yeah, kinda figured. So... Who's the lucky guy?" he muttered.

A loud slap was then heard in her room. Mavis, without having the time to even think, got up and slapped Johnny so hard she almost sprained her wrist. Johnny, surprised, looked at her... Mavis was fuming, her face completely red, her eyes flashed with hate for a brief moment. When she spoke, her voice was filled with indignation and was so high-pitched, Johnny would've sworn that she could shatter glass with her voice, "How dare you?! How could you?! How could you imply that I CHEATED on you?! You...!"

As she was about to land a second slap on his face, Johnny grabbed her arm firmly, stopping her short. She winced a little, as he was not yet used to his vampire strength. Now it was his turn to be angry and indignant, which made him almost bark at her, venom dripping in his voice, glaring at her stomach, "Well, how the hell do you explain _this_ then? I know that before my...accident, we talked about your newfound urges and-and what sex and making love was roughly about... Yet, you know what, I can't remember us actually making love... Funny thought there, right? And then you say you didn't cheat. So, if I'm apparently the father, HOW exactly did you get pregnant, Mavis?!"

Mavis froze, fear and shame replacing her anger. She knew she had to tell him, but she was very afraid now of how he would react, since this discussion was not going nearly as well as she had hoped. Still, he had to know.

She broke the hold Johnny had on her, desperately trying to regain some space, "Give me a minute, Johnny, I need to think..." Johnny was glaring harshly at her, clearly still angry. However, he reluctantly complied, and sat back in his chair. She then paced back and forth in circles in the room, thinking of the best way to tell him. Should she try to sugarcoat it, beating around the bush and trying to control his emotions, or should she just blurt it out bluntly?

She chose the latter. After taking several deep breaths to calm down, she steeled herself, turned to face him, and said as assertively as she could, "Johnny... About two months ago, I... I had s-sex with you while...while you were still...out..." she spilled out, eyes on the floorboards.

For a moment there was silence, she staring at the floor, he staring at her face.

Johnny was absolutely shocked... Of all the things he could have imagined that Mavis would do, he couldn't really have truly acknowledged that she'd... He sat still for several minutes, not sure what to feel... True, he felt relieved to learn that he truly is the father of Mavis' child, but...but...

Mavis braced herself, unsure of how Johnny would react... She tried to imagine the worst he could do in her head, she figured he would become very angry and insult her... However, Johnny reacted in a way that Mavis couldn't have imagined...

Johnny sat still, almost motionless, and then simply glared at Mavis... He then said, in a quiet, broken voice, "So... Your 'urges' got the best of you, huh? You just...you just couldn't wait, could you, Mavis? You had to... When I was..." His glare partially dissolved into something painful for Mavis to see, "It had to come for you t-to...to _rape _me...?"

Mavis' heart stopped beating for several moments at the mention of that word, as if part of her being just died. Then, she simply collapsed on her knees, unable to do anything else but cry loudly, her eyes and nose watering so much that she sounded like she was suffocating, "I-It was never about tha-at..." she sobbed brokenly.

"I thought you were _dying_, Johnny..." she whimpered harshly, almost too softly for human ears, but his? No, his could pick it up just fine, "You...you just wouldn't wake up, and-and I couldn't stand the thought of-of not...not having anything of you, it's just, oh, God, I thought you'd never wake up, Johnny, I'm...I just couldn't..._nngh_..."

Johnny stood still and looked at her, listened to her sobbing... Whatever anger was remaining within him was replaced by guilt. He really did it now... He was such an idiot... He was such a fool...

He tried to comfort her, only to be pushed back by a furious Mavis, "And you...and you wake like THIS! NO! Don't touch me! G-get out... GET! OUT!" Tears of rage were now gushing from her eyes, which made Johnny feel even worse... He almost tried to talk back, but he gave up, knowing he had no right to, not after being such a jerk... "I'm sorry, Mavis... I didn't mean what I said..."

After saying that, Johnny went outside of her room. He could see Mavis collapsing on her bed, her face burrowed in her pillow. Johnny felt heartbroken to have hurt Mavis to this extent... He needed someone to help him... He needed someone to talk to...

His heart heavy, he went into the kitchen, took a few blood beaters, then headed towards Dracula's room. He knocked on the door, only to be greeted by Dracula, looking like a pale shadow of his former self. He hadn't fed at all in a whole week, nor had he taken care of himself. His hair was a mess, his eyes were bloodshot, his face was starting to look sallow and drawn, even his clothes were in shambles...not to mention he looked to have aged twice as old from not feeding!

Johnny jerked back a moment, surprised to see him in such a state, "Whoa! Drac, what happened to you? You...you really don't look so good..." He then remembered about Dracula attacking Mavis and frowned, feeling stupid, "Oh... You're still feeling horrible about that, aren't you?"

Dracula answered back, almost snarling at him in agony, "What do you think? I almost killed my own daughter... Do you seriously think I could forgive myself so soon...?" Johnny shot back at him, "Perhaps not, but starving yourself to death is not gonna solve anything! . . . Here, I've brought some Blood Beaters, just-just eat something..."

Dracula wouldn't admit it, but he was starving. With lightning speed, he snatched one bag from Johnny, and gulped it down in one go. After a long sigh of relief, he at least started to look better, already straightening, resembling more of his old self...

Dracula, curious, asked Johnny, "Thank you... So, Johnny, why are you here? Shouldn't...shouldn't you be with Mavis now?" Johnny winced, still feeling horrible for having treated Mavis in such a way. Fear also started to take hold of him, because he knows how overprotective Dracula is towards Mavis. Still, he blurted it out...

"Drac, I messed up... I messed up big time..."

* * *

_Author's note: Sorry if this chapter was a little shorter. As ruthless as I was so far, I had a lot of difficulty writing about Mavis and Johnny being angry at each other. In fact, this was the chapter I had the most difficulty to write so far! Once again, I owe a big thanks to hatchlingpendragon, he really helped me with the flow of that argument!_

_Still, I intend to make it up to you in the next chapters! I should post my next chapter in a few days, or at least in less than a week, to make up for my slow update (sorry, I was being busy with my job), so stay tuned, and, if you got the time, please review!_


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